Shadow of the Doctor
by Kythrae
Summary: 10th Doctor: It used to be you could pop over to another dimension and be home for tea. The 4th Doctor has used the Randomizer to escape the Black Guardian, but he did not take into account the dangers of altering the TARDIS safeties. Now the TARDIS has landed on a station in neutral territory. It is 2259, and the station is Babylon 5.
1. Randomizer

_I have been gone a while from the site. Mostly I have been working on my own original ideas and also just life in general. I have had some bittersweet goodbyes to family and some rollercoaster moments with my friendships. I have never stopped having ideas though. I just wish I could clone myself to write down everything I think of._

 _This one popped into my head a long time ago, but I had to scrap it every time because I kept trying to shoe-horn in a lot of things. Now though, after some re-watching of the shows, I think I will crack it again._

* * *

 _Doctor Who - We follow the adventures of the Doctor, a Timelord who is capable of regenerating into a new body when the old one is fatally wounded or as a part of his natural life cycle. At this point he is in his 4th incarnation and traveling with the Timelady, Romana, who has recently regenerated into a copy of Princess Astra. They have just survived the nightmare of Skaro and slipped back into the Vortex at the whims of the Randomizer. The addition to the TARDIS the Doctor made to evade the Black Guardian._

 _Babylon 5 - 2259 - Captain John Sheridan has assumed command of the diplomatic space station as the ancient enemy, the Shadows have begun to move again. He has learned his wife's expedition to a rim world was the homeworld of the Shadows. Mr Morden is in their employ and a survivor of that trip. The Vorlon, Kosh, will now train Sheridan to fight the Shadows as the Minbara Ambassador Delenn, works with hims as well. For reference, the episode Knives has occurred where Sheridan was possessed by a temporal creature that wanted to return the rupture in Space/Time where Babylon 4 disappeared. Londo has also learned, at the cost of a dear friend's life, that the Centauri are making darker turns than he likes._

* * *

 _Now, that is out of the way, the last part: I under no circumstances this side of an alternate reality own anything of Babylon 5 nor Doctor Who save every DVD/Blu-Ray I can get a hold of. I hope all enjoy what is to come._

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

The TARDIS hums steadily as always. The Doctor had hung his coat on the hanger in one of the corners next to the partially dismantled K-9. For reasons beyond her understanding, the robot dog had laryngitis. The how of it was not very interesting to her, but Romana was also badly in need of a wash after the harrowing experiences in the mines of the Daleks.

The Movellans had not been too accommodating either now that she thought on it. The matted blonde hair still caught her off guard, but her imitation pink outfit of the Doctor's regular style was also ruined by the experience. His clothes seemed to deflect dirt and blood on a regular basis!

Glancing at the flickering controls was still disconcerting, but the Randomizer was doing its job she hoped. They were on the run, in a way, from the Black Guardian for now. The Doctor's assertion of the 'pot luck' principle being the best solution was still troublesome, but for now, a wash was her primary goal.

She whisked down the corridor from the Control Room and put it out of her mind.

* * *

The TARDIS whirled through the maelstrom of the Space/Time Vortex. In many ways, it was in its element. The coordinates had been randomly selected, as well as the path it would take to get there. The Doctor may have neglected to mention its one other function when the Randomizer was added.

He knew there would be a chance that the Black Guardian would set up the equivalent of road blocks to force the TARDIS somewhere of his choosing and ensnare the Timelords in a trap. The trip to Skaro had been a result of such a roadblock cropping up, but it was an evasion of one.

This time, there were many more in the way. Even the convoluted path set by the Randomizer could not get around them all. It was in this moment of re-calculation that an anomaly was found.

The TARDIS instantly identified it as a breach in the Vortex dimensions, but not dangerously so. What was of more interest was it was not something natural, but artificial. Someone was manipulating Time and possibly causing calamity.

The Timelords were the enforcers of Time and Space in this case and the TARDIS had a primary need to investigate such discoveries. The Randomizer was never part of the calculations to investigate however.

When the TARDIS changed directions, the Randomizer overrode the simple fly-by and the TARDIS was hurtled through the anomaly!

The usual alarms and alerts never activated because the Doctor had not thought to exempt them from the Randomizer. Quite rightly, the Black Guardian could have laid a trap to draw him in if this was still working. He had thought the safety mechanisms would protect the TARDIS, but in this instance, it combined for them to slip form one dimension, into the next.

The TARDIS found no more road blocks and did exactly as the Doctor wanted, it followed the new coordinates to the source of the time disturbance.

* * *

 **Babylon 5**

 _The diplomatic station, Babylon 5, was 5 miles long spinning on its horizontal axis as it orbited Epsilon III in neutral territory. Split into several color coded sectors for living areas, the lower sections of Brown levels was filled with the desperate and the destitute. They were known as Lurkers. Some made money where they could, but all were there because they had run out of places to go._

 _In the more remote Brown 14 level, where even Lurkers were rare, the laws of physics as they were known were being thrown out the window. A wheezing, roaring noise came with a feeling of a breeze as in one corner a blue Police Box took form as if appearing from thin air._

 _The station had many sensor to stop illegal entry or to detect a dangerous breach, but none of the engineers ever considered the possibility of something just appearing in the middle of the station._

* * *

The Doctor looked up to see they had indeed materialized. His curly hair nearly bounced as he went around the 6 control panels to see where they had landed. After Skaro, he was going to be taking a deeper look at the readings.

It actually looked like a more pleasant trip this time. A space station by the readouts with nearly 1 G gravity throughout the level they were on. It seemed to generate gravity with rotation, bit primitive, but most space faring races started with it.

He was about to call Romana when he saw the date.

Relative Time Earth Standard 2259.

"What is this?" The Doctor frowned as he re-checked the date. He confirmed their spatial coordinates as well and frowned deeper. "Curiouser and curiouser." He rolled up his sleeves as he began to look into detail where they had landed.

* * *

"Well Doctor Franklin, are you fully satisfied I can return to work?" John Sheridan trusted his head medical officer, but Franklin could be Hell on 2 legs if he wanted to be medically. This was the 3rd examination since his visitor left him.

The med lap facility was close to top of the line, but the machines insisted there was nothing wrong with him at all. Sheridan found that to be the end of his concerns, but Franklin was being extra careful after the brush with a new life form.

He also seemed to take it as a personal offense that none of his test revealed the alien in the first place.

Franklins dark brow was furrowed on his readouts, but then the sigh came that Sheridan had been waiting for. It was taking some time, but the little quirks of his staff were becoming clear. That sigh said Franklin was at a loss or had given up for now, it meant freedom.

"Yes Captain, you are authorized back to full duty, but if any lingering effects, anything at all, let me know right away?" The pointed finger reminded Sheridan of his father, but he smiled and grabbed his jacket before heading out through the doors.

He had a busy day, not least because Garibaldi had reported that Londo had some kind of duel. It was beyond their jurisdiction, but Sheridan wanted answers to what had happened on the station.

He also had an appointment with Ambassador Kosh. He was going to be learning how to fight the Shadows again today.

The face of the friendly Captain slipped to the grim visage of the widowed warrior. Morden's masters had taken his wife, he would not forgive them that. He doubted he would forgive Morden either, but for now that snake had to be free.

Shaking off the dark thoughts, Sheridan got in the lift to CnC.

* * *

Mr Morden was in his quarters. To anyone watching him, he would seem like he was meditating. His looks were not bad, but neither were they memorable. A former girlfriend had once told him that when they broke up. At the time it had been just salt on the wound, but now it was an advantage.

His recent brush with the command staff had come to an abrupt end, but his Masters were content. They had not anticipated Sheridan being related to one of the crew, they honestly did not give much thought to most species beyond their use.

He smirked at the thought of all these fools striving for peace when the Shadows were about to rip the galaxy wide open again.

Sharp, quick sounds suddenly filled his quarters. He opened his dark eyes and waited for them to stop speaking. Even though he could not completely see them, the partial distortion of the room revealed 4 of them with him. Normally there were only 2, but after the encounter with the Vorlon, they had increased that number.

Something had agitated them, but they would tell him in due course. After serving them for almost 2 years, he had begun to get a sense of general emotion when they spoke to each other.

The conversation was very agitated from what he could gather, but it could also be excitement. They may have found one of their ships or one of the many fronts they had invested in were running into troubles.

The Centauri were doing well and the other races were beginning to indulge as well in the assistance of the Shadows. Even so, they were not ready yet. The Vorlon could put a stop to it at this stage, but clearly they were not sure of their victory either, or they would have fought harder for Babylon 5.

The conversation stopped and 2 of them left. He was never entirely sure how they left the station, but he knew they did not stay here when he was gone.

One of them turned and for the first time, he felt like it was worried. If it had been human, he would have expected it to be searching for the right words to break the news of some lethal disease to a poor patient. Indeed, he began to wonder what could make the Shadows fear aside from the Vorlon.

Impressions and more whispered sounds were sent to him. As part of his adjustment, he was made to understand a great deal of what was said, but it was very watered down. Their languages was far too complex for literal translation, but they could convey mental commands to their subordinates.

At first it was a confusion, of what was clearly a complicated subject so it stopped and tried again. Morden was actually curious as to what could fluster the Shadows and then finally 2 words got through.

"What is a Timelord?" The question silenced his current master. The answer he got back had the blood drain from his features. He had been very wrong. There were far worse things than the Vorlon to worry about it seemed.

* * *

 _Hmmm, I miss the break lines! Here is the beginning. R &R and feel free to be critical._


	2. The Shadows Move

_Sleep…who needs sleep? Seriously I just need to get a bit more out and maybe my brain will let me go to bed! Happy Mother's Day to all as well._

 _As previously stated, I do NOT own either Babylon 5 nor Doctor Who. The first portal that opens to either world though I will be first in line!_

* * *

 _The Randomizer on the TARDIS has brought the Doctor and Romana to Babylon 5. The Doctor is trying to figure out why the coordinates are impossible with what he knows of human history while Morden's masters, the Shadows, have noticed the arrival of the Timelord._

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

"Doctor." The tone of voice immediately told him to keep plucking away at the wiring beneath the console. K-9 was still coughing occasionally, but he would get to him in a moment. Right now, the impossible read out was more worrisome.

If the Randomizer had made it so they could no longer tell where or when they were, it would be dangerous to dematerialize.

"Doctor." Romana was holding her hands on her hips or he would be having tea with a Sontaran.

The Doctor poked his head out of the panel he was working on to indeed see the blonde haired Romana standing firmly in the doorway to the inner halls of the TARDIS. She had cleaned up and changed clothes, although he thought she had been rather fetching before.

Now she wore a simple sweater with cloth pants, both of a dark color, he also thought he could make out a pale color of blouse poking above the sweater collar.

He smiled wide.

"I think you look fetching with that outfit Romana, just give me a moment to see what is wrong with the readouts." He ducked his curly haired head back to safely plying the circuits of his dear old thing. He had only applied the sonic screwdriver when he felt the stare.

He often wondered why his companions mastered this particular technique, saying without words to explain what had gone wrong. This time though, he was fairly certain he was not at fault.

The connections all checked out and everything was working perfectly, but the readout was wrong, the technology was wrong, and humans had no business being near Epsilon III in the 23rd century.

Using one end of his scarf to dab at the sweat on his brow, he closed up the panel and ran the readings one more time.

 _Relative time Earth standard 2259._

"Well, Doctor?" Romana was less angry it seemed. She saw the readouts and knew as well as he this was wrong.

"I have checked, several times, and the TARDIS is working perfectly. The Randomizer is also working perfectly, so I am left with 3 possible conclusions." He moved around and opened the scanner.

"We are on a human space station that was heretofore undiscovered that was missed by the Dalek invasions." One look told him that was wrong. The technology just in sight told him this station was a decent make for early space exploration, maybe a century after it began.

Running a few local scans he found no signs of things that should be there and a great many he did not know.

"Option 2, we are, despite being in working order, in some kind of recursive timeline that should not be here." Romana arched an eyebrow at him at that highly unlikely scenario. Technically speaking a paradox or other temporal event should have triggered half the alarms on the TARDIS and on Gallifrey.

The Doctor agreed that was unlikely but it was on the list. The final option made him swallow in concern. He ran the flight log on the scanner for the last option.

The data was flying at a speed he was used to, but really he was looking for the marker, and he found it.

There was an anomaly during vortex flight and the Randomizer had overridden the normal safety protocols of the TARDIS. He had made a horrifying mistake.

"Option 3, we have slipped between dimensions to an unknown anomaly and are literally in alternate time." The Doctor looked grimly at Romana and saw the fear in her eyes.

Normally, excursions into alternate time were only done as needed and at the careful control of Gallifrey or the High Council. Timelords had not been unknown to never return from such trips as some timelines had galaxies where nothing but death reigned.

Given the TARDIS was still working meant a high likely hood that the pathway was still open, but if it was natural they had to find it quickly. If it was unnatural, then they had to find the source and then attune the TARDIS for the return flight as they healed the rift in space and time.

"That readout says it was a level 1 anomaly Doctor, not even worth bothering, so why did the TARDIS fly into it?" The stern edge was back and this time it was his fault.

"I think we will need K-9 for this Romana, help me finish repairing him." Smiling his toothy grin, he turned from her and quickly diverted the conversation to their other companion. He had not lied, he really did think they would need K-9. They needed information desperately.

* * *

 **Alien Sector**

Kosh was conflicted. There was much during this time that had him feeling as such. The secrets he kept from Delenn, Sheridan, and even his own people to an extent easily explained such feelings. This time, however, he was conflicted because an ancient accord between the enemy and the Vorlon could be invoked.

He had felt the disturbance and his ship confirmed that one had arrived if not precisely where. A Timelord was on Babylon 5. It had been billions of years since they were here last, and that had been when weapons of terrible power had been created that ruptured time and space.

They had thought themselves beyond reproach and even they had thought to stop the use of such weapons. It had been a surprise when the seemingly weak humanoids arrived in their variety of ships.

The Vorlon and the Shadows had learned that there were races beyond powerful in certain arenas. The Timelords had given them a stern warning and then negated the weaponry they had all created. The First Ones had sworn to keep to that accord.

Kosh knew why they might be here, but his understanding of the agreement meant the Great Machine on Epsilon III might need to act sooner than expected. Things were not ready, Sheridan and his crew were not ready.

Why was the Timelord here? Would the coming war actually be averted in a way none expected and what would that do to the last 1000 years of history?

He donned his encounter suit and went in search of the Timelord. It was agreed that the Vorlon would be the emissary if they ever returned.

If there was any sign of nervousness, none of the races on Babylon 5 would notice.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

It had taken Romana only a few moments to confirm the Doctor's analysis of their situation. The near disaster this should have been had been avoided somehow, but they could not be sure how long this would last.

The Doctor had gotten K-9 up and running very quickly and even now they were collating data from this space station while not drawing attention.

She read the summary they had pulled from the public records and she felt the hair rising on her arms.

The station was called Babylon 5, apparently the previous stations had not quite made it. This one had already been the center of several upheavals and was constantly on the edge of war these days. It was practically made for the Doctor to arrive.

Oddly, she could read the various text of alien languages in the Babylon 5 database. She accessed the TARDIS records and found an ancient entry on a major temporal event. This alternate timeline apparently had nearly caused a cataclysm with their technology, but none of the current races should have it should they?

She cross referenced the TARDIS entry with Babylon 5 and found a match, a single word: Vorlon. The entry from Babylon 5 was laughably scarce, but the TARDIS database was much more helpful.

A telepathic race of quasi-energy creatures. They could not block how they were seen by other races but this was a draining experience as the mental projection eventually would make them have to hide and recover for a time. Their natural appearance was something like creatures of earth that swam in the ancient seas.

"If they are still here, they would be incredibly more advanced, but then what is causing the anomaly?" She saw the scans from the vortex, and nothing there, aside from it being there, was cause for concern. It was being generated by an artificial paradox of some kind, but the readouts indicated it was well within safety margins.

"That must mean the current timeline only exist because something was taken from here to the past or future." Given the low level of the anomaly, it must be to the past.

"Got it!" She looked up and moved the loose strands behind her ear as the Doctor brought up the readouts again. It was not the station, but the planet it was in orbit of that was the source of the anomalous readings.

She saw the problem however.

"Doctor, we are too early, why didn't the TARDIS take us to where the anomaly was being affected by this planetary installation?" She saw his own confusion but then it cleared.

"Level 1, cursory examination without contamination. This is as close as we could get." Surprise nearly crossed her face. The Doctor usually only had a passing familiarity with analytical procedure.

Confront him with power mad conspirators or Daleks and he was a genius, almost mad she would say, but as with the Randomizer, safety protocols only came to him after it was too late to fix it.

"So we are done then? We can head back?" She was almost disappointed. This place was a curiosity to her and the Black Guardian was no doubt confused as to where they could possibly be.

"Don't be silly! It would be the height of rudeness not to take a look around, besides we are expected." She was very confused until she looked up at the scanner. A human male was standing outside the TARDIS.

He was almost nondescript if not for seeing the TARDIS. He should not be able to do that. The readouts blinked at her. Flipping a switch revealed he was not alone. Some sort of multi-legged creatures with triangular heads were out there. The 2 beings seemed to suddenly blend again, as if aware the scanner settings had changed.

She consulted the TARDIS database again. The name that came up this time was almost a paragraph of symbols. How would she pronounce that? She also did not like what she saw on this entry. They were as old as the Vorlons, so why were they not in the Babylon 5 database?

"Doctor, he is not alone out there." She saw him donning his long coat and plopping the hat on his head.

"Of course he isn't, otherwise how would he have come straight to the TARDIS?" He moved to the console and then paused. It was odd to see him be cautious, but the circumstances were tenuous at best.

"K-9, keep an eye on the TARDIS for now." She saw the little head droop as the antennae stopped swiveling, but he was advanced technology for this era. It would be dangerous to have him wander out for now.

The Doctor flicked the switch and then headed out to see their guest.

* * *

Morden thought that if anyone but his Masters had brought him here, it would be a joke. There was a beat up old blue box with "Police Box" in colloquial English on it. How it got here was a mystery but they had insisted on following what they called 'the disturbance' to its source.

Now they stood in front of it and it was something of a let down.

Then the door whipped open and the tallest man he had ever met emerged with a petite woman in tow. It was a night and day comparison at best.

Morden thought the blonde, elfin featured woman would blend well with the Lurkers or the Zocalo. In other words, she would be a simple traveler. The man on the other hand may as well be holding a sign saying 'I am insane' in bright letters.

He wore an impossibly long multicolored scarf with a long coat over pleated pants and boots with a cardigan. His hair curled in all directions and the inane toothy grin spoke of a man with no sanity left to Morden.

"Pleasure to meet you and your friends, I am called the Doctor and this is Romana. How do you do?" Morden was surprised at the friendly tone but his blood froze. How did they know he was not alone?!

He was stunned when they appeared next to him. They never did this unless it was needed. They also never did it in a public place like Down Below.

There were quick and sharp sounds flying in the air and Morden was not getting any of it. They were clearly agitated about something and he was not part of it. This slightly annoyed him, but he assumed he would be asked to convey messages here.

The 2 people seemed unconcerned with what they heard and after a point, the one calling himself the Doctor seemed to lose the smile.

"Doctor, they think—" whatever the woman Romana had been about to say was stopped by a hand from the Doctor.

"You seem well informed of what we are, but I am afraid I am not here for you. We will simply take a look around this place and confirm what my TARDIS has detected. Once we are satisfied we may inform you when we leave. Is that satisfactory?" Morden felt the hair rise on the nape of his neck.

They could understand the Shadows?!

What was more, the insane tone had been replaced with a commanding voice. Where he had judged the woman as being in charge, he now felt the Doctor was. He also felt something from his Masters he had never felt before, fear.

They made a quick response and then vanished back under their cloak. They then left him with the strange people.

* * *

The Doctor looked at the human in front of him. He had clearly not followed the conversation but expected to be involved. Clearly he was some kind of subordinate of the creatures. They also rubbed him the wrong way but their message had been clear enough.

 _"Welcome emissaries of Gallifrey. We are pleased to see you and assure you we have kept to the accord. The Vorlon are also here and can confirm this for you. Please come with us and we will show you all that has happened since you were last here."_

The tone is hard to pick up from more complicated alphabets like theirs, but the clear hatred of _Vorlon_ got through to him. He also knew danger when faced with it and those creatures reeked of it.

It would be best if they never learned this was an accident. Also what was this accord they spoke of?

Mentally shrugging, the Doctor smiled at the human who stared coldly back, and then he took Romana to the closest lift. They needed somewhere more lively and also, they needed to get a better idea of who they just met.

He likely would never get to come back here again, so it was time to see this impossible station, Babylon 5.


	3. Kind Encounter

_Anyone unfamiliar with my writing speed, I lead a sad life of no social obligations and story characters holding my sleep hostage. Of course I try to pound out ideas when they are doing this! That being said, I enjoy this too._

 _On we go. I do not own anything of Babylon 5 nor Doctor Who, the TARDIS trash can needs a scale model of B5 but they are hard to find!_

* * *

 _The Doctor and Romana have headed out into the station and already encountered the Shadows. The Doctor has let them assume they are there on orders of the High Council of Timelords and wants to sate his curiosity about this alternate dimension._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 CnC**

Commander Ivanova disliked mysteries. Mostly she disliked things that happened without a direct explanation. She ran a tight ship and despite the chaos of B5, she loved her job as second in command.

Captain Sheridan had made it interesting on several occasions, but overall, she approved his style as before. He was a favorite of most of the crew already to boot.

The report from the daily roster of departures and arrivals scrolled by on her station. Her hair was done up in a pony tail today and seemed appropriate to tossing about as she looked at the other scrolling piece of data.

Like Garibaldi, she kept an eye on the patterns in the station and there was now a disturbance that seemed ready to give her a headache.

The whir of the door opening heralded the Captain coming back from Med Lab. She had gotten the approval from Dr Franklin on the return to duty. Less paperwork was always welcome, but it had been relatively quiet by B5 standards.

"Commander, I see by your eye brow that something is up." The wide smile and easy manner did not make her look at him in her trademark 'do not mess with me' face.

"Ambassador Kosh cancelled his departure for tomorrow and has been seen wandering corridors in Brown Sector." She took perverse pleasure in seeing the smile vanish and become concern. The cancelling of departure was normal, any number of departures were cancelled on a given day.

The Vorlon ambassador in Down Below warranted a concern of potentially interstellar issue. Neither officer worried he would be harmed by the residents, but his being there could lead to a near riot due to the many rumors regarding the Vorlon.

"He seemed fine at our lesson, is there anything else that would have drawn him down there?" The fact the Captain was getting lessons on the Vorlon from the Ambassador was a major achievement that Earth Central would have been happy to know. Ivanova knew he had yet to pass it along, but honestly there was not much to send by his reports.

"Nothing that I can find from Garibaldi nor my own reports. What do we do?" Legally speaking, the Ambassador could go anywhere on the station so long as nothing violated the treaties regarding Babylon 5.

"Just make sure he gets back safely to his quarters and let Garibaldi know." She restrained the smirk of anticipating that order. Garibaldi himself was already heading down to Brown 14.

* * *

Michael Garibaldi sighed heavily. He had checked that his PPG had full caps as he chased down perhaps the most enigmatic person on B5. He also kept thinking he had a thousand reports and patrols to do. He also knew that an ambassador should know better than to wander around in the underside of the station.

Ivanova had put him on the least populated level due to the waste recyclers from the reactors pushing through here. The sound was murder on business and sleep, much like his work.

The few Lurkers had become scarce once they saw the security uniform and he was fine with that. The Vorlon encounter suit was easy to spot after a quick tour from the lift. What was odd, was that he found him in front of something that should not be there.

"Ambassador, may I ask why you have come to Brown sector?" For Garibaldi, that was extremely polite. If it had been Londo or G'Kar, he would have been more direct and dragging them bodily out of here. He doubted they would have been as obvious as Kosh though.

The massive form of greens and browns did not turn but continued to stare at the blue shed. It rubbed him the wrong way and it was not supposed to be here. He actually looked at it and became more confused.

"Police Box? What the Hell is a Police Box and why is it in Brown Sector?" Garibaldi ran a hand through his short brown hair as he reached to hit his link to report this.

"No." The musical sounds that came with the single word made him pause. The word was clearly said as a command.

"Pardon me, this does not belong here Ambassador." He again reached to hit his link on the back of his hand but then the Vorlon turned around.

"This is not for you. Leave it be, it is not of your concern." The stern tone was not hidden beneath the tones. Garibaldi arched his eye brow but station security was his area.

"Sorry Ambassador, but any contraband brought onto the station falls under my concern and this is not supposed to be here." The single eye narrowed at him, but it was his job and damn any ambassador from getting in his way.

"Immunity." The single word was spoken clearly again and this time there was no doubt. The heavy sigh escaped him as he put both hands up in surrender. It was not his job to say what an ambassador would declare as theirs.

"You get me the paperwork showing you imported it and it will be moved to somewhere more appropriate then." He highly suspected such paperwork did not exist, but this was not the time for that argument.

He hoped fervently that was the worst headache this 'Police Box' would cause him.

* * *

 **Zocalo**

Ambassador Delenn browsed the many fruit and trinket vendors during her break from meetings and planning sessions.

Although she had been removed as a member of the Gray Council, she still had her duties and the coming war to prepare for. The close moment with Captain Sheridan and Mr Morden had moved things forward faster than expected but Kosh was teaching him what he needed to know.

The Zocalo was always a refreshing place where the varied races could come together. Fresh arrivals and those living on the station mixed freely here and she always found it fascinating to watch at times.

It was a first for her however to see this particular kind of human. He was imposingly tall with curly brown hair and a long coat over some warm clothes. She understood that some parts of the station were colder to humans, but since her change she always found the Zocalo comfortable.

His companion was much more inline with humans traveling to Babylon 5. Simple sweater and pants contrasted nicely with her pale features. The ambassador was tempted to engage them, but manners kept her back. It was not her place to intrude.

At least that had been her intention.

"You need your identicard to buy something, unless you have an account I can charge?" The trinket vendor was one she knew to be something of an opportunist. New arrivals sometimes would get charged double from what she had heard, but Mr. Garibaldi had sternly warned him against any further infractions.

The 2 were clearly confused and she could never turn from someone in need.

"Excuse me, is there any way that I can help?" The tall man smiled widely at her and she felt warmed by the expression.

"My dear woman you were just the person I needed. This fellow is telling me that I need to be buying something to browse, is this true?" Although the question was worded innocently enough, his tone revealed he knew the answer. Delenn smirked as the young human woman rolled her eyes slightly.

"I think you know that should not be the case good sir." Delenn noted the cart keeper recognize her, she was the only Minbari with flowing dark hair.

"I just meant you seemed interested and I would need to scan your identicard for any purchase." He huffed up and turned away from them. Delenn bowed to him and turned to the 2 humans.

* * *

"Honestly Doctor, you knew he was trying to scam us." The impatience in the young woman was full of affection, but the title was odd for the man. Delenn was used to Dr Franklin's air of earnest curiosity and fervent belief in medicine.

"Ah, but Romana, the joy in travel is to at times meet wonderful new people. This woman for example!" Delenn found her left hand suddenly in his and being shook soundly. She knew this was a form of human greeting, but she did recall it ever being so enthusiastic.

"Truly thank you for the timely arrival dear lady. I am the Doctor and this is Romana, and you are?" He was smiling widely, as she might imagine a small child would with a new toy. The simple joy was hard to ignore and infected her as well.

"I am Ambassador Delenn of the Minbari Federation here on Babylon 5. What brings you to the station?" She allowed herself to be pulled to a table that was free and saw the first pause from him. It was quickly replaced by the smile again.

"Travel broadens the mind, even when you get side tracked! We only just arrived and were taking in this interesting place." The woman Romana seemed to be nervous at this, but she may just be shy.

"I share this belief. We Minbari value a journey of discovery. What have you seen in your travels?" This was the kind of thing she liked to talk about with visitors if they wished. Hearing stories of places she had not been, especially as it may all come under threat from the Shadows.

"Oh hear and there. Mostly Earth, a few stations, and most recently Skaro." A quick kick to his legs made the Doctor shift in her vision but the last place she had never heard of. Humans were always naming things oddly and it was likely known to her by another name.

"Earth seems very nice for your homeworld, but I have not heard of this Skaro, where would it be?" Again the Doctor seemed to frown, as if unsure what to say.

"It was mostly a mining operation, very little of interest to most save those digging there. Earth is a nice planet but it is not our homeworld." The woman seemed to fill in the gap but she suddenly closed up on the last word.

Delenn knew there were those from Mars here too so it had been rude to assume Earth was their home.

"I have heard of the trouble of Mars as well, I apologize for assuming Earth was your homeworld." She saw the first look of concern on the Doctor's face. He looked over the crowd and seemed to look sad.

"Even here they find ways to make war with themselves. Will humanity never learn?" The words were spoken very softly and if she had been human she may have missed them. They seemed quite odd, yet truthful.

"Doctor, perhaps we should ask about where to get replacement identicards?" Romana was looking at him hard but Delenn felt an instinct tell her there was a lie here. She did not feel malice, but to even enter the station, you had to check in with your identicard. If it was lost or stolen, it should be reported and most people did that very quickly.

"My dear Romana, lying to good company is not something I do." The look of shock on Romana's face was short lived as she sighed and just seemed to resign herself.

"The truth is Ms Delenn, we don't have identicards. You could say we did not know we needed them." The honest revelation left her worried, but the smile and warmth in his eyes told her this was a good man.

"How did you get here then?" She saw them both frown but then a shadow loomed over their table.

* * *

"Timelord, I am Kosh." Delenn stared up in shock as Kosh stood over them in his encounter suit. Standing just behind him was Mr. Garibaldi looking slightly put out to be here.

"Are you really, terribly nice to meet you dear boy!" The Doctor rose to his full height but there was no hand to shake this time. He seemed to pat the top of the helm animatedly but the Vorlon did nothing to stop him.

"Ambassador, is this the owner of the blue box?" Garibaldi sounded at the end of his patience.

"I daresay, that TARDIS is more than a blue box, how did you find me by the way?" The Doctor was a whirlwind as he shook Garibaldi's hand and Romana seemed to be looking anywhere but at him.

"I followed the song, she sung of you and I followed." The enigmatic response was normal for Kosh, but he Doctor seemed to freeze in his movements back to the table.

"You heard the 'song?' I take it that means you spoke to the TARDIS or to K-9?" The Doctor had changed. Gone was the friendly man and in his place, Delenn felt fear. Garibaldi had his hand on his PPG as his own instincts seemed to warn him as well.

Kosh was stunningly acting timidly, moving back slightly from the 2 she had been chatting with just a few moments gone.

"I was taught the song. I was to meet you if you ever returned. Is the circle a concern?" The strange twist in the conversation lost even Delenn at this point. What was Kosh referring to? Who was this man and woman to the Vorlon?

"Look, I don't want any further trouble. If you could come with me to Security, we can get this cleared up." Assuming his role, Mr. Garibaldi moved to escort the 2 away, but neither moved.

"If I may ask, who taught you this song?" The tone from the Doctor was deadly serious and even Garibaldi made no further move.

The tones indicating Kosh was thinking on what to say gave Delenn pause. What was going on?

"Doctor, this is not the time—" Whatever Roman had been about to say was cut off by a name.

"Rassilon." The name meant nothing to Delenn nor Mr. Garibaldi, but the Doctor closed his eyes and seemed to exhale the tension.

"Well, nothing for it then. Yes, you wanted to take us to Security? Well let's go man! No time like the present." The Doctor hopped up and caught Garibaldi by surprise based on his face. Kosh made no move to stop them as the 2 were escorted away.

"Kosh, who are they?" Delenn whispered the question, wondering if she had courted disaster for their efforts.

"They are the travelers of the song, the seekers of balance. They are called, Timelords." His iris narrowed and he bowed before turning to leave. The answer was unhelpful but she knew one thing. Despite appearance, the 2 she had met were not human.

Then what were they and why was Kosh nervous about them?


	4. Mindwalking

_Glad to see people are liking this so far. I admit we will meander a bit still, but it will get to the meat soon enough._

 _I do not own any rights to Babylon 5 or Doctor Who, save the right to enjoy them on binge watching over and over as the whims take me._

* * *

 _Kosh has made contact with the Doctor, but Michael Garibaldi has had to to take them in for questioning. Chief among his questions is who they are and how they got on the station._

* * *

 **Security Cell B**

As incarcerations went, this one was downright hospital. The Doctor drowsed on one of the 2 cots in the cell they had been moved to after most of their possessions had been confiscated.

The Security Chief was much like many he had met, serious about the job and they did not like jokes on the clock. This one did seem to have a streak of mischief though. While he had been waiting for the next round of questions, he distinctly heard a joke about spacing the whole lot of some delegation if they made one more complaint about the levels of lighting.

The Doctor smirked beneath his hat at the consternation his answers must have been giving. Clearly this society had logged identities to the point that people should not just appear somewhere without some form of checking in.

The TARDIS was also a point of contention and at that he frowned. At first he thought the humans would simply impound the old girl, but when the chief had sent someone to do just that, it was gone.

The Vorlon Ambassador had lodged a protest both to release Romana and he, but to find the TARDIS as well.

The nondescript man flashed through his mind, but regardless, they could not get in without a key and K-9 was on guard.

The interviews had been remarkably more informative for him than for security.

"Doctor, how long will we be kept here?" Romana had long since lost her patience since the 2nd day. He knew she had been answering as truthfully as he, meaning holding back what they did not need to know, but he saw she was reaching the end of her indulgence.

"Romana, we are guilty of what they accuse us of. We entered their station without permission and have wandered about." The Doctor lifted his hat back onto his head as he sat up. He also moved his scarf back around his shoulders.

"I, for one, think they have been rather polite about this. Surely you remember Ribos?" The squint of her eyes indicated he need not bring up their first venture on the Key to Time.

"They clearly have no knowledge we need about the anomaly, nor do we know what those creatures or this Kosh expect from us? It has been 2 days, surely even you want to get out of here?" She flipped her blonde hair back from the table surface as she continued to read the data pad they had been provided.

After the first day, the Chief had finally believed they did not possess one iota of common sense. The Doctor smirked that his pocket contents may have leant them that impression. He wished he could have kept his jelly babies.

"I rather think we are reaching the moment of proof. They will either get a medical scan of us, and prove we are not part of the human race, or some other agency shall tip the balance in our favor." The Doctor looked up at this point to the corners of the room where he no doubt would find recording devices. He had been intentionally talking normally with Romana, but she just now glanced up and sighed in understanding.

Humans could be remarkably slow when they were denying the truth.

* * *

Talia Winters watched the 2 in holding with a raised eyebrow. She was the resident telepath of B5, but even for her this request was a bit out of her area of expertise. She was only rated a P5, but Captain Sheridan had only asked to verify the truth of the statements these 2 were making.

"Like I said, they sound like fruit loops, but they have not broken the act once. My instincts also tell me that they are telling the truth, but that Doctor makes my teeth ache something fierce." Garibaldi was always a strange mind to be in a room with. He was always watching, often crude, but underneath it all, she had often felt something safe she could trust. He was a crusty man, but a good one.

"So to be clear, you want to ask them some simple identity questions with me present to see if they are lying to telling the truth?" It seemed simple, but her gut felt like butterflies were taking flight. She could not pin down why, but since coming to Security, she felt like a storm was on the horizon.

"That is it in a nutshell. If you clear this up I will buy you dinner and where the most uncomfortable outfit I can fit into for the night." The man had the decency to half smile as he made yet another attempt to ask her out. He also meant it about dinner though, she could tell.

"I will accept the contract, let's get this over with Mr. Garibaldi." He rose from his chair and motioned her through the door with a small bow. Sometimes she wondered what she would see in his mind when he did these things. For all the crude thoughts he had let slip through, he had never once acted less than a gentleman with her.

They reached the cell quickly and feeling of fear in creased. She could not pin down why but went through several basic exercises from the Psi Corps training programs to center her mind. It was just another job after all.

* * *

Romana felt it right before the door opened. She slammed down her shields as a telepathic wave entered the room. The Doctor was usually defended, but he was a curious man and he looked at the lovely young woman in the black gloves and form hugging outfit for all of 10 seconds before shock was on his face.

The young woman went from normal to grasping her head as she screamed in pain. Too late, the Doctor closed his own mind, but the damage was done. Before Romana could blink, the Chief had a his weapon trained on them but neither of them moved.

The Doctor's hands twitched by the tension was too tight to move yet.

"What did you do?!" The question was flowing with anger and fear. "Dr Franklin to security, medical emergency for Talia Winters!" He spoke into the device on the back of his hand and 2 more guards came in.

"How far is this medical area?" The Doctor asked this calmly and the look of worry was all the answer he needed

"We can help her, we just were not ready when she came in." Romana looked with all the honesty she felt. They truly had not known such a defenseless being was coming until it was too late.

The look in her face softened the chief's and he nodded and all 3 lowered their guns.

The Doctor was there in a second from across the room.

"Do you think we can save her Doctor?" She had to ask, the damage might be irreparable.

* * *

The Doctor focused on his patient and ignored Romana's question. He was a fool not to think to ask if there were telepathic races aside from the Vorlon they had met. Why was there a human like this?

He put his fingers to either side and quickly found the broken shields of this poor woman's mind. He walked the paths of her mind gently and very quickly began to repair the damage to close out all the noise she must be hearing before it destroyed her.

He froze as he found a butchering job deep in her subconscious. Anger flared but then this node of danger tried to destroy the original person. He could see it try to wipe out the poor woman and he would not allow it.

The Doctor quickly, but carefully enclosed the malignant addition to her psyche and lifted it out. He kept rebuilding her walls and made them better than before. She would need absolute silence to recover.

It was not an easy thing to do. She had been taught by amateurs and barely at that. He had a few choice words about it, but for now he looked for any further issues. It was in that final check he found something kind. It was placed there gently and was weaving itself into her. It was a work of art and he left it alone.

The malignant thing was crushed into his own mind and destroyed. The Doctor carefully left her mind and broke contact.

Romana caught him as he fell back. A dark man in a gray suit pushed him aside as he scanned the woman, but whatever he saw seemed to be good.

"What did you do?" He was a curious man, but his concern was the woman. A medical doctor if he ever met one.

"I accidentally shattered her shields wide open. She was not able to deal with it, so I had to rebuild them for her carefully. She was a bit of a mess, but ok. Thankfully she has never been able to keep other minds out and was able to withstand it for a short time. She should recover, but she will need isolation and rest for at least a week." He kept his tone level and saw it got through.

Two orderlies carefully lifted the now peacefully sleeping woman and took her out of the cell. The doctor turned to him and nodded in thanks.

The Doctor felt exhausted, that was a very delicate and fine thing to do. Romana must have made sure he was not disturbed during the procedure.

"How long?" He whispered the question.

"About 3 hours, you were brilliant but what was that dark thing you took from her?" The Chief was still in the room and snapped up at that.

"Someone had implanted something malignant in her and when I tried to fix things it tried to kill her. I stopped it and removed it. They were butchers so it was a rough job thankfully. If they had been skilled, it would have been much longer to do that." The Chief stood over his prone body, the look was difficult to say.

"Are you saying someone messed with her mind and you made sure she was not hurt?" The Doctor smiled slightly and nodded easily.

The tension left the man.

"Make sure these 2 get looked over by the Doc once he can get to it and double their ration." The guards nodded and left the room. "Thank you for saving her, but what are you to do that to a telepath?"

The Doctor looked up at him sadly now. They had told him this already but maybe this time he would listen.

"We are not human my dear man, we mean no harm and I am deeply sorry we did some. Could you please tell that doctor to keep an eye on her mental waves between the middle and upper spectrums. She will recover but no need to have nightmares while she rests." With that, the Doctor pushed himself up and move to lay back down on the cot. He was quite tired after that.

* * *

"He is what?!" Sheridan was staring at Ivanova. He had just been in meetings with Kosh about the 2 guests that had appeared and the supposed shed both had seen in Brown 14 but could now not be found.

"From what Garibaldi and Franklin said, he is a telepath of some kind, a powerful one. They both are sir." She waited for the next question she knew was coming and held the medical read out.

"How did such a telepath cause Talia harm?" John passed a hand through his hair as he turned to lean on his desk. She knew he cared about his crew deeply, but Talia had begun to be a bit more to them the last few months.

"Because, sir, they are not part of the human race." Ivanova held out the Med Lab report Franklin had complied. He had done it twice to be sure.

Sheridan read over the report but skipped to the notes before quickly jumping back up to the details.

"Two hearts, a flexible respiratory system, and a genetic structure the computer cannot unravel?" He lifted an eyebrow at her and she handed over the scans of most of the things the 2 had been carrying.

"Aside from a few common items, including some kind of sweets, there were some inexplicable pieces of technology. One of them, the Doctor, called it a sonic screwdriver. It seems like a probe but has way more functionality than we can pull off at that size and what is more, we have no idea what is powering it." The engineers had not even been able to open the tiny cylinder with any degree of certainty. They were worried they would damage it.

"And how did they come aboard?" Sheridan was now sitting behind his semi-circular desk in his office. He looked up expectantly but she frowned back at him.

"I think the engineer we called in said it was impossible, but then the Doctor began to write out equations that made him best friends. To the best of my knowledge they are still with him going over some kind of theory on quantum physics the Doctor called child's play." She shrugged to add that they were not answering that one easily.

"The Vorlons have officially requested their release and to put them under diplomatic immunity. To the best of my knowledge commander, the Vorlons have not asked to protect anyone, let alone offer immunity." Ivanova felt shock herself. The Vorlons took mysterious to an art form, but even they conformed the rules of B5.

"What do we do John?" She rarely slipped up and called him by name on duty, but the shock was that bad.

"There is not much we can do and Earth Central is riled up about causing a diplomatic incident. They did not even ready my report as I am sure the Vorlon made it clear they would get their way." The bitterness was there, but their hands were tied.

"Barring something happening further with Talia, they are free to go, but I want them issued identicards and I want to speak with them myself. They are on this station illegally but have caused a near diplomatic incident as well. I want to talk to them." That was Sheridan through and through. He had something new, even if it was a mess, and he wanted to see it.

"About Talia, Dr Franklin says she is not only stable, but is recovering nicely. This Doctor has been giving advice that seems to have made it very gentle for her. He has also apologized a number of times to Garibaldi and Dr Franklin." She was tempted to slap the man, but if it was an accident, she would be able to forgive it if Talia was all right.

"Very good, keep me informed and set up that meeting Commander. Also, find this 'Police Box' thing Garibaldi saw in Brown 14." He was shuffling on to the next piece of paper on his desk and she saluted before leaving. She was irritated they could not find this box either. Just where could it have gone?

* * *

Mr Morden looked at the odd blue box. His masters had only waited until after the Chief of Security and the Vorlon had left before moving it. It had been heavier than expected, but they did it themselves. It was very odd.

He also did not know how long he would be on the station now as they seemed disinclined to leave.

Regardless, the Doctor was not going anywhere without his strange box, of that his Masters had assured him.


	5. Meetings

_Busy days fry my brain, like I seriously I feel like steam should be slowly emanating from my ears as my engine is just spent. Fortunately, my imagination seems to run on a God PC separate from work and adulting brain centers._

 _I may have wandered Pluto in the future with the Doctor and Leela while looking at my B5 collection, but I have no rights to either story._

* * *

 _Things have taken a turn for the better in some respects for the 2 Timelords. They are now under the protection of the Vorlon Empire, but the TARDIS is missing. On top of this, the Doctor is now seeing to Talia Winers in Med Lab as someone from Psi Corps is coming to B5 to evaluate the new aliens that look like humans. After their first day of freedom, both are pursuing their obligations._

 **Sheridan's Office**

Romana felt her hair in a pony tail once more as she waited for the Captain of the Babylon 5. She had been able to change clothes to be more respectful of the protection the Vorlons had given them.

She now wore a dark blue blouse with deep green vest and pants. The simple colors were based off of what she saw Kosh wearing, but also the sweater was a bit warm for the stations temperatures.

She saw the view of he interior of the station's extensive plant life for oxygen reproduction. The alien sector was capable of producing extensive environments for those species that needed other forms of breathing, but most species in this galaxy seemed to share a similar need for oxygen.

She had noted most could do with less than humans in many cases.

The rest of the office was more martial, but also inviting. There was a scale model of the station and various contributions from several races she had been furiously studying in the last few days.

The Doctor was splitting up their expertise for now and comparing notes. He was focusing on the technology and medical, why she focused on the cultural and the political. They both had a vague grasp from their study before leaving the TARDIS, but now they had put the proverbial foot in their mouth as the humans would say.

She felt carefully at her shields as they had learned telepathy was far more common than what they were used to. While she had read up on many kinds of races that had such abilities, she could also count them on a single hand outside of the Timelords.

The Academy admittedly could not be held accountable for alternate Time. She worried about being stuck in this place, but the greater worry is if the TARDIS was recalled by Gallifrey because they had detected the breach.

It was not something she was familiar with, but the Doctor assured her there were be a months long debate before a capsule outside of its home Time streams would be acted upon. The low level of the anomaly would also be of little concern.

They had not found any help on that front either. If they could at least get a grasp on the readings of the fissure or tear, then they could easily get home once they had the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Kosh had barely spoken though as they were still playing at being sent by the High Council. Romana bristled at the game they played with forces that were only cowed by the sheer power of the ancient Gallifreyans.

* * *

The steps out in the blue coded hall announced several people incoming. A fit but just reaching middle age man was center between the now familiar Chief Garibaldi and a shorter but just as fit young woman ranked as commander.

Romana stood politely and and bowed her head to the three. She could see the Chief smile in recognition, he was quite funny now they were not in one of his holding cells, but the other 2 seemed to look for the person not there.

"I apologize for the Doctor, but he felt it is important to help Dr Franklin with Ms Winters. We feel obligated to help her recover as best as possible before someone comes to interfere." She had been told as a courtesy that the human Psi Corp was displeased one of their telepaths had been deeply scanned by an alien.

Her general impression from most files and reports is that there was an almost fevered dread of dealing with telepaths in humanity. None of the other races seemed to have this problem, but that was very much the humanity she had come to know.

In general, they can be quite good and fascinating species, but their ability to fight each other was surpassed by none. Even Daleks could not be held to that kind of extreme.

She saw the understanding pass on all 3 and they seemed to accept it for now.

"That will do then, please take a seat." The Captain moved behind his semi-circular desk and the other 2 took seats on the couch just below that wonderful view.

Romana did not feel tension, but having the 2 behind felt odd.

"I am Captain John Sheridan, this is my second, Susan Ivanova, and you already know Mr Garibaldi." She turned back to the other 2 to get a polite nod from the commander and a wave with a smile from the Chief. She returned his smile and for a moment she felt a weak echo from the Commander but kept inside her shields firmly.

"A pleasure truly. I am sorry for all of this, we truly did not intend any of it. The Doctor was curious to see your station, and frankly so was I." Per agreement, they would be as truthful as they safely could be. Kosh has warned them to avoid any mention of what he called the Shadows. The Doctor again mentioned he did not like them. There were somethings that would be difficult to accept.

"Well, I don't want to keep you as the Vorlons have made it clear you are under their protection, but I was hoping to clear up some pieces of our holes in security. For instance, this TARDIS." The small screen showed an ancient image from Earth. They must have looked in their archives for one. She smiled at how much more battered the TARDIS looked compared to this one.

"Our records show that blue Police Boxes once existed in the mid-late 20th century in the United Kingdom. Why does your ship look like one and how do you even fit in it?" The blunt but clipped tone from the commander was actually refreshing. She agreed with the Doctor, these were good people.

"It only imitates that shape and size. It is—" Romana paused mid-sentence as this was a conversation the Doctor greatly enjoyed having with humans. She smirked and shook her head. "Pardon, stray thought. In any case, the TARDIS is bigger on the inside. The outside is a moldable shell that houses the vast interior dimensions. Imaging if your station was contained within one of your lifts for instance."

Captain Sheridan seemed to have a bit of look of denial, she could almost see the smile on Garibaldi as this would be the 3rd time he had heard the explanation, but the commander surprised her.

"The dimensions are inverted or some sort of bridging involved?" Romana graced her with a wide smile of joy.

"Most impressive. Not quite but close. Essentially there is a dimensional interface between the insides and outsides to the exterior shell can blend in with where we materialize." The woman seemed to partially understand. Given their hyperspace abilities, it was possible these humans could grasp this nature of the TARDIS.

"So why didn't it blend in?" The Captain's question triggered a sigh from Romana.

"The short version is it got stuck in 1960s Earth. The circuitry has never been really repaired as the Doctor seems to like the anachronistic nature of the current shell." She knew she could fix it, but he had refused. He even was insulted she would think to meddle with the TARDIS exterior. Admittedly, it had begun to grow on her.

"So you have been to Earth before?" This was where the Captain had clearly been heading, but Romana knew he would not like the answer.

"Tell me Captain Sheridan, what do you know about alternative Time and the multiverse theory in relation to dimensional limitations?" She smiled wide as the look of horror came onto his face and this time the chuckle from Garibaldi could not be contained.

* * *

 **Med Lab**

Dr Franklin felt he was a patient man when it came to experts. He was an expert in a wide variety of subjects, but B5 had shown him some clear areas to grow and consult.

He was swiftly discovering that for as infuriating as the Doctor could be, he was seemingly an expert in medical science far beyond anything he had ever heard of.

The sonic screw driver was also a tool he desperately wanted.

The curly haired force of nature was currently finishing working on one of the scanners for Talia. It was not detecting something called a telepathic scale and it was giving far more detailed results than anything he had used before.

The body he could do a lot, but the mind was still a box of mysteries, even more so with telepaths. The Doctor though, seemed to find it a minor problem.

Franklin put a hand to his forehead as he watched the near mess of wires disappear as if by magic. The things this man said were tantalizing, but getting him to complete a thought was a practice in anger management.

"I do wish I could get K-9 to help with this, but first we need to find the TARDIS." It was not the first time he had said that in the last few days. His long coat and scarf were currently draped over his desk, but it was now just accepted.

"All right, that will do for a lash up job. Pity, another century and you might have something more useful for this." The man smiled wide while saying this but Franklin moved up and saw further readings on his patient.

Talia was not only recovering, but the normal readings you would see of a telepath working to keep out other minds was almost baseline. It was as if she was in complete silence.

"What is up with this Doctor, I have never seen a telepath with a reading like that?" The tall man looked at it and frowned.

"She had been taught to control her gifts with nothing but sticks and rocks Stephen. I know you have told me it was only a century since certified telepaths began, but still, this was almost like someone wanted to keep her on edge around non-telepaths." The deep eyes looked ancient at the moment. It happened like that, one moment he was a whirlwind of vibrant energy, but other times he seemed to be an ancient creature full of power and wisdom.

"Normally, I can do something to help a bit, but what did you do?" It was not the first time he had asked but for once the Doctor seemed talkative.

"That, is something we would like to know as well." Franklin almost wished for a locked door as they both turned to see the man in black. A Psi Cop had come, Mr Bester.

* * *

The Doctor had met many beings in his life, quite a few most would never want to meet. The Doctor had rarely met someone that gave him an anger reaction as this new man.

He was short, but squarely built and even though his shields were up, he could feel him probing them. He also felt the man trying to probe Talia.

The small widening of his squinty eyes was quite enjoyable.

"I rebuilt and remade her shields so she could recover. She should be waking up today or tomorrow, so if you could wait till then that would be excellent. Please move along." The Doctor intentionally turned his back and monitored Talia. There was no real need but the spike was what he was waiting for.

It was almost easy to see the man bounce back physically without looking but the Doctor turned anyway.

"According to the laws I looked up, you are not allowed to scan myself or anyone without permission. Neither Franklin or I gave you such and Ms Winters is recovering. Unless you have a medical degree, please move off for now." The man was not deterred, but he seemed more cautious.

The Doctor noticed one of his hands was constantly in a fist. A clear sign of mental damage. He frowned but wiped it for now. He doubted the Psi Cop would allow him to repair it.

"Ms Winters is one of the Corp, the Corp is Mother, the Corp is Father. Surely you would not deny my lodging my concern for what you are doing outside of the Corp's knowledge?" The smile told the Doctor he would do exactly that, but he felt his smile get wider. The little man thought he was intimidating did he?

"You claim more expertise than I as a telepathic expert? We can get this settled right now if you like. Also, and I am sure you checked this, Ms Winters is recovering nicely. You are more than welcome to scan her, with her permission, once she wakes up." The Doctor saw a cautious look come over the man. He was not stupid, but stubborn.

He had no doubt scoured he reports for any edge he could get. The Doctor was very much not pleased with how telepaths were treated on the whole. There was only so much he could do, but even a novice could see a war was coming. It would not be kind to either side.

"There is no need for that. Once Ms Winters wakes, I would like to talk to her Dr Franklin, please let me know." The man gave no nod, but whirled around and left Med Lab.

"Davros would have liked him I think." The Doctor voiced his thought and saw the human doctor look confused. "Never mind, but you seem familiar with that man. Care to fill me in?"

As Franklin spoke the Doctor felt he was wrong. Davros would have killed Mr Bester out of a need for self preservation.

* * *

Talia felt at peace. It was a very strange feeling, because it was absolutely quiet for the first time she could ever remember since her gift awakened. What was more, was she felt safe. This was also a rare feeling.

Her eyes slowly opened to find the blonde woman she had barely met before the world had collapsed in on her. She was reading a data pad and the lights were set to night. Why was she in Med Lab?

The question triggered memories, but it was not just from the holding cell, she was remembering what the Psi Corp had done to her! She remembered the torture and the horrible pain as they broke her to implant something. All the memories were restored that had been hidden and she saw now how that horrible thing had been quietly manipulating her.

What had the Corp done? Why?

"Oh you're awake." The voice was not expected. It had an accent that sounded like one of her teachers from Britain. She was not aware they were from there.

"The Doctor rebuilt your shields, we are so sorry for what happened. He also said you would have questions when you awoke about what he removed to save you. Someone implanted something vicious in you. He had to remove it to save your life. What do you want to know?" Talia felt nothing from her. It was as if she did not exist.

Panic began to creep in but then a gentle tugging was there. She looked and she finally saw the woman. She was able to look at all of her.

"The Doctor is truly a genius at times. The shield he built for you will last quite a while until you are ready to make your own. You can see me, yes?" Talia could only nod. It was like looking at the sun through a filter. This woman was something beyond any mind she had ever seen.

"Then start where you wish and I will try to answer, the Doctor will be here soon. He also said to let you know, a Mr Bester has come. The Doctor does not like him though." Talia felt fear enter her, but none of her freshly restored memories had him in them. Knowing the Psi Cop, he would not get his hands dirty directly in case she did remember.

"What are you and why did they do this to me?" Tears fell from her eyes and she felt nothing but comfort and kindness from the woman. She felt safe and then the Doctor came in and she knew the storm. She felt it from him but it was kind. He was smiling at her and she knew she would trust these 2 always.

He walked up with his long coat and impossibly long scarf and opened a very wrinkled paper bag to her.

"Would you like a jelly baby?" She felt laughter bubble up and it felt so good. The newly found horror was shrinking but she still wanted to know. Nodding, he chose one of the orange ones and she like the tart taste to it and waited for them to begin.


	6. Good Dog

_Thank you for kind reviews and messages. I do encourage critique as well. I hope all continue to enjoy the story. FYI, I have broken my "T" key on my keyboard and have had to switch to my other computer. Oh well._

 _As always I do not own the rights to any property in orbit of Epsilon III nor a Police Box that is infinitely larger on the inside, but I would happily hop the next ship to either!_

* * *

 _The Doctor and Romana have spent 2 weeks on Babylon 5, the first of which was mostly spent incarcerated. They are now working to find the TARDIS and generally make as little impact on this alternate time as they can._

 _Their encounters with the crew have been generally pleasant now that the Vorlon have extended protection to them, but the Psi Corp, Mr Bester in particular, have left a rather bad taste in their mouth._

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

K-9 knew he was a good dog. The Master had told him to guard the TARDIS and he had been carefully tracking his whereabouts as the TARDIS was moved from its landing point.

He was still connected to the Bab-Com system and knew his Master and Mistress were safe, but were unaware of the location of the TARDIS.

According to his databanks, this was not an unusual state of being so it was not a concern, but now attempts were being made to enter the TARDIS. The success of such an action was very low, but if his Master called, he may cause entry that was undesired.

Thus, he began to connect the Bab-Com system and carefully facilitated getting instructions. By his calculations, he should succeed in less than a day.

He began to wag his tail hard as his ear antenna swiveled fiercely making the connection.

* * *

 **B5 CnC**

Commander Ivanova felt the itch at the middle of her forehead. She badly wanted to scratch it, but sadly it did not really exist.

It had been 2 days since Bester arrived and she would have gladly spaced him if only Garibaldi would arrange it. She also would have gladly blasted the part of her console that was blinking as she stared out into the space at the front of the station. It gave a limited view of the incoming and outgoing traffic, but it was preferred to that light today.

"Commander, isn't that your call button." One of the pit crew that ran the sensors and communications of the station had come up with a report. He was fairly tall and crew cut, a fresh recruit out of training if ever she saw one, but at the moment he was tempting the wrath of God.

"Yes lieutenant, it is, but what do you have?" She almost happily took the pad from him as he gulped. It was something she knew, but she was getting an unfair reputation as some sort of vindictive creature. She was always fair and balanced, it was the rest of the universe that refused to behave!

It was a simple update on the Centauri and Narn war fronts. The battles were bitter, but currently the Narn were holding out. Still, she worried they had underestimated the Centauri.

The light kept blinking as if to annoy her. She knew who it was, who it had to be.

"Commander, is there a reason you have not been answering Dr Franklin?" The data pad fell as the light stopped blinking. Captain Sheridan was looking at her in curiosity but also concern. He was looking around the CnC to see what could have distracted her, but then he saw her face.

He put his hands behind his back and marched smartly around the circle of the pit to her.

"I understand that Mr Bester had made 3 attempts to talk to you, but you might want to find out why he stopped. Talia is awake." She felt as if a set of chains fell off her heart.

"I am sorry Captain, I just—I—" the war in her heart of joy and trying to hide her wishes against Bester was fierce.

A small smirk cracked her Captain's face, but he leaned in closer.

"Go ahead and take a break, I have it on good authority Bester is tied up with some red-tape from the Psi Corp and Garibaldi might have found some reasons to run diagnostics on the channels he is using." She stopped just shy of hugging the man.

Saluting smartly, she left the CnC and wondered how she would explain ignoring Dr Franklin.

* * *

 **Med Lab**

Talia felt an ache at the back of her head as tears fell down her eyes. The Doctor was vastly entertaining as he spoke of various historical figures. He also was an attentive man as he kept an eye her shields as she practiced them.

They were almost contrary to what she learned from the Corp, but it was so quiet now! She could just barely hear a murmur in the background, but nothing like before. She watched as he patted down his pockets, that seemed far too deep to hold what they did, but produced a deck of battered cards.

He began shuffling in various ways, some she was certain that could defy physics.

All of this was intentional she knew. He was distracting and being funny on purpose. He seemed to enjoy it too. He was pushing her ability to hold the new shields with everyday surprises, but nothing compared to a distraction when the main doors of Med Lab opened.

"Susan!" She smiled wide at both seeing Susan and holding her shields, even if they shivered slightly. The light bounced off the waves in her friend's hair. Of all people, she was very glad to see her.

Talia noticed the Doctor had seemingly vanished. For all he could be quite rude, he seemed to have certain lines in would not cross. She did see a slight sign of curly brown hair just around the corner though.

"You look so much better!" Susan hugged her hard, which was a far cry from before. She also felt her stiffen and pull back. "I am so sorry, I just—I—" Susan looked almost cute as she tried to apologize enough for breaking the first rule of the Psi Corp.

"It is all right, Susan. The Doctor taught me new ways to protect myself so that normal contact, even by surprise, is fine. It is…quiet." She let the smile of the calm show on her face. The shadow of the old memories flashed and anyone else would have missed it, but not Susan Ivanova.

"What is wrong?" She sat at the edge of the bed, but kept her hands to herself. Talia smirked as she grasped with her right hand the left. It was so much warmer without the gloves and so refreshing to be so free.

Non-telepaths took this for granted, the simple touch of hand to hand unexpectedly.

"This is not the place, but, Susan you were right. You were so right about the Psi Corp and I am terrified of what will happen when I leave Med Lab." It had been intentionally tabled between her and Stephen. The Doctor never brought it up, but the concern was in his eyes.

These few days had been bliss even with the dark revelations of what had been done to her.

"We can talk to the Captain if you really need something." Talia did not need to read thoughts to hear the doubt and fear in Susan. She had been getting to know her far better lately, but now things would be awkward. She had to tell Susan what that thing had been doing, what it was for. Her feelings for Susan were confused now, but she still loved her friend for sure.

"Ah, Commander, I have been looking for you." As if he had been waiting for the right moment, Mr Bester had come back for her.

* * *

The Doctor watched carefully from the office area for Franklin. The head of Med Lab was currently at a meeting, but he felt old watching the predatory gaze in the Psi Cop. He and Romana were quickly running up against the limitations of what they could do.

Technically speaking, they were contaminating this timeline just by being here, but Gallifreyan law was clear. They had caused harm and it had to be fixed. The consequences then had to be dealt with to cause as little of a ripple as possible.

Generally, that would mean that he let Ms Winters face this monster of a short man with a clear Napoleon complex on her own, but he was never that much a stickler for rules.

Especially not when he had been handed an unexpected weapon.

* * *

"I have been trying to reach you for 2 days, but you have always been busy. It was almost as if you were avoiding me." Bester stretched the smile he knew infuriated most mundanes that dealt with him.

He was frustrated himself, but he did not let it show. He was in charge here now. He was following their rules, so they can't complain anymore. He noticed the alien staring at him and a bit of disquiet went through him.

At first, he thought it had been some elaborate ruse to funnel rogue telepaths away from the Corp, but after meeting the 2 aliens he knew they were not human. Their telepathic powers were temptingly strong, but they were not human at all.

What is more, they taught a P5 shields that kept even him out with ease. He still saw the proper fear in Ms Winter's eyes. He was in control and they all knew it.

"Regulations state I had to lodge my protest with you or Captain Sheridan, but he had been busy with the fight between the races out there. So, I am officially stating I would like to take Ms Winters back with me to the Psi Corp HQ on Earth for a proper evaluation and check up." He did not mention he had not gotten permission for it, but once done, even the Corp would not say he acted out of line.

He held his usable hand behind his back as his fist hung at his side.

"A pity Mr Bester, but I am afraid you will not be taking anyone from here." The infuriating man with the silly scarf and coat stood smiling now. He seemed very please with himself.

Before Bester could speak, the doors opened again to the last being he expected to see.

"Rituals of formality complete. Permission has been given and conditions met." The musical tones announced the arrival of the Vorlon Ambassador. Bester opened his mouth but the other alien woman smiled at Ms Winters and shattered his mood.

"Talia, you have been requested to be a human representative to the Vorlon Empire effective immediately." Bester thought the laughter of the Doctor was hardly appropriate to this disaster.

* * *

 **Zocalo**

"Mollari." Londo looked down at the ever nondescript Mr Morden. The human could do with a bit of flair, possible more hair.

The Centauri Ambassador put his hands in his front pockets as the various medallions of office jingled on his violet coat. He had been getting disturbing updates from homeworld and suspected Mr Morden's associates being responsible for the rash actions of his people.

Londo felt the time was coming to cut ties with them soon.

"What can I do for you Mr Morden?" Londo signaled for a drink, heavy on the alcohol despite it still being morning. "Great Maker, I need a drink." The war with the Narn was getting blood thirsty, but they had brought it on themselves.

If he felt guilt at these thoughts, he did not let it show or bother him much, not awake anyway.

"You have heard of the new aliens on Babylon 5." It was not a question and Londo felt no need to be obvious or quick, his drink had not arrived yet.

The silence stretched and Londo felt the fan of hair around his head twitch in the barely existing breeze here in the Zocalo.

"Yes Mr Morden, I think just about everyone had heard about them. Vir has done nothing but gush about how they are being protected by the ever powerful Vorlon. So, have you come to gossip?" There were rumors aplenty, not least because the male of the 2 was practically living in Med Lab with Talia Winters there.

His agents informed him this strange man was healing her from whatever ordeal she had been in. Best of luck to him. He was affectionate to most of the Babylon 5 human crew, they were good people, if a bit backwards on how life should be lived. They wanted to be married after all. Insane, all of them.

"My associates would appreciate if you could initiate contact with them. We have a vested interest in knowing what they are doing on Babylon 5." This nonchalant request peaked Londo's interest, but he carefully kept his face neutral as the dark liquid of joy finally arrived.

Anything Morden's associates were interested in and could not get info on their own may be helpful. He was not a stupid man thought.

"And how, pray tell, would I get an audience with Sheridan and need I mention the Vorlons, have worked to keep all away?" Londo smiled showing his sharp teeth as he drank. The burn of the liquor was welcome as well as the grimace on the human. "It is not as if I have been idle Mr Morden, but I have been somewhat distracted as you may have heard."

The bitterness was not entirely hidden now. He had to kill his best friend, and Refa would be paying for that and a few other things if he was not careful.

"My condolences Mollari, but my associates are making this request and would be very happy to compensate you if you would do this." It was a small crack in the mask, but it was there. Londo realized Mr Morden did not like this particular request at all.

"Well, well, Mr Morden, you don't know anything about them do you?" The flash of anger told Londo all he needed. A small giggle rumbled as he took another drink

"Great Maker, small miracles do occur don't they Mr Morden?" Londo swallowed the rest and slap a golden ducat on the table, the tip was well worth this moment.

"Very well, Mr Morden. I will engage some requests to meet with them, but I would prepare for disappointment. I fear that is something you should start to get used to." Londo laughed as he rose and walked to the lift to get back to his quarters.

It would appear Mr Morden was just being a good dog for his Associates.

* * *

 **The Doctor's Quarters**

The Doctor was relaxing on the small couch in the quarters he and Romana shared. He would relish the look of defeat on Bester's face for sometime. The lodging of complaint was instant, but Commander Ivanova surprised him by calmly consulting the nearest interface and confirming the approval of Kosh's request.

She had been barely not smiling as she apologized that Talia would be entering into deep meetings with Kosh and becoming the first ever human representative to the Vorlon.

It was a stop gap measure again, but a big one. In the long term, he would have to hope something would keep the Psi Corp busy or away from Babylon 5. They could not move against her now, not openly or even underhandedly, because they did not know the full extent of the Vorlon's abilities.

They might wet themselves if they did.

He was rummaging in his pockets for a jelly baby when the screen on the wall began to beep at him.

"You have one message waiting approval to receive." The smooth female voice was very human, but who would have sent him a message as these quarters were technically secret and he had given no one his contact information.

"Receive." He popped the sweet into his mouth and then smiled wide at what he saw.

"Master, I have established contact with the Babylon 5 system. The TARDIS is still on the station but it is being moved after a few days time. Please respond on this ident line with instruction." A wagging K-9 with his read eyes and swiveling ears filled the screen as the console pylon took up the rest.

"Good dog K-9, good dog!" The Doctor then responded with a long text instruction in Gallifreyan. It was the only safe method he could think of as the Shadow or anyone could possibly intercept this system. The security here was truly appalling.

He had gotten in after all.


	7. Falling Masks

_I had a busy weekend of doing mighty battle of a nephew's birthday. They ruled us all and had a good time but I was tuckered out. Anyway, back to Babylon 5 and the Doctor!_

 _Things are reaching an impasse for the 2 Timelords. By their own rules, they need to keep contamination to a minimum, especially as they seem to be in a political and wartime powder keg on Babylon 5._

* * *

 _Talia has recovered and by quick slight of move, the Doctor had Kosh take her as the first human representative to the Vorlon. Meanwhile, K-9 has made contact and has now received instruction on what to do with those trying to enter the TARDIS._

* * *

 **Brown Sector, Level 18**

Mr Morden was feeling left out these days. His Masters still used him, but their focus has almost completely shifted from any advance of their agenda on Babylon 5 to the 2 newcomers. Mollari was even working to get an update on what they were doing.

He worried if it was just the 4 that were with him, but then another had arrived. The quick noises had not been angry but almost anxious.

He wiped his brow as he watched them work on seemingly fragile blue wooden doors that refused to yield. He did not understand what there was to fear, let alone how this shed refused to open to any Shadow technology.

He felt a breeze on his dark hair as a sound began to become audible. The loose trash and other light items also began to blow away from the box as the Shadows quickly backed off.

Morden felt his jaw drop as the box seemed to fade from existence and leave no trace behind.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

K-9 was concentrating for all he was worth. The reconfiguration of the TARDIS console had been difficult without the Master or Mistress, but he was now fulfilling his orders and it all seemed on course.

He wagged his tail, but quickly focused on his task. Unlike his Master, he could only use the explicit instructions and not improvise. The TARDIS moved in the vortex to where the Doctor had ordered him to move it.

* * *

 **Alien Sector, Kosh's Quarters**

Kosh was becoming used to Romana being with him. She had a quick grasp of the situation on Babylon 5 and the delicate nature of what they were trying to achieve. She was also clearly the more innocent of the 2.

He recognized the many battle scars on the elder Timelord. For all the Doctor seemed a buffoon, Kosh caught him at times looking at the crowd or when thinking and the Vorlon felt a shiver pass through him.

Neither had known about the Enemy or the Vorlons. He now knew that the circle had indeed brought them, but they understood the importance of it.

"Clearly this interface is showing more than the Babylon 5 database," The blonde head of hair was currently draped on the viewer he had brought from home. The Valen-Sinclair had remarked on it.

She seemed to be looking at a particular aspect and she had quickly found the way to get at the internal parts.

The fact he had grown it ages ago did not seem to phase either Timelord.

"Got it! The Doctor will find this useful, may we borrow it?" She had a slight discoloration from the fluids inside the frame, but Kosh felt nothing but trust. The ancient encounter was very different, but the Vorlon felt the equivalent of a smile.

"Open the path with the key." The translator at times could use very ancient sayings to convey his words, but the Timelords heard it all.

The bright smile was followed by the peep of someone at the door. The expected appointment had come. Kosh was not looking forward to more confrontation, but a request by the Timelords was not to be ignored.

* * *

Mr Bester did not like being here. He would not surrender however. Homeworld had basically left him a narrow wiggle room to stay involved, and honestly, the Psi Corp wanted to watch as well.

The fact that one of the new aliens was there did not bother him. Of the 2, the female seemed less bothersome.

The breather was not on her he noticed, but she seemed to be taking rather deep breaths as well. This was something not in the file, but that data was being compiled.

"Thank you for seeing me Ambassador." Bester felt a brush against his shields. The Corp suspected the Vorlon of being telepaths of fearsome power, but they had yet to let one close like they planned to with Ms. Winters.

His clenched fist ached at that humiliation of only a few days gone.

The Commander had basically been laughing at him, he could almost hear it, but dared not in the presence of so many non-human telepaths.

He noted that the Ambassador had not spoken, the single green iris narrowed and widened slowly looking at him. He did not feel like he was being taken seriously. He was tired of this dance.

"We all know why I am here. The Psi Corp is not willing to let a P5 be handed over to the Vorlon unsupervised. I have been authorized to be a witness to her treatment." He affected the small smile he used to seem personable. It usually did not quite work for these moments, but it did wonders in interrogation.

The woman seemed to pocket some glowing piece of technology and produce a kerchief to wipe something off her face. Bester really looked at her. She seemed more approachable to the mundanes he was sure, but to him, she was just as painful to sense as the man.

Their minds were the most alien thing about them. The Doctor especially seemed to hide a lot behind that buffoonish smile and ridiculous outfit.

"You seek to learn without paying the price." The sudden words from the Vorlon caught him off guard and Bester would swear the woman smirked into her kerchief. She put the white cloth in to her front pocket and donned a breather as he had one on as well.

"I am not sure what you mean?" For once, Bester was being completely honest. At the best of times, the Vorlon have flustered translators from all the governments. The Minbari might have a better grasp, but they were not sharing obviously.

The Vorlon closed his iris and went silent.

Bester felt a vein tick on his temple but then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

Out of instinct he knocked it aside but found surprising strength holding it.

"You need to let this go. The Doctor and Kosh know you want the secret to the shields we built for Talia and that the Psi Corp is worried about what we saw in her mind." Bester looked up into her dark eyes and backed away.

Gone was the slight slip of a girl that had simply seemed to fade into the background, now there was something old and powerful looking at him. The mind burned like a thousand stars and his shields trembled.

For the first time in decades, Bester felt real fear. Here was a being that he could neither control nor understand. A being that could break him with a thought. What were these people and why were they interfering with his telepaths?!

"Go, now." The Vorlon was looking again and this time he truly felt the pressure on his shields. Bester nodded curtly and left the room while still keeping his dignity.

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Meeting room 7**

Londo felt his head throbbing after only a few minutes. The extremely tall and giant toothed smiling man was staring at him. Attempts to talk had been shushed while the man then insisted on offering something called jelly babes or some sweet.

Vir was happily trying a handful but quietly.

"This is really quite fascinating. I wonder what causes this?" The curly haired man moved slowly around Londo as he sat in the chair at the meeting table. It had taken considerable effort and not a little favors owed to get this meeting and he was being treated like a dancer on the stage of his favorite bar.

"If we could—" Again the man waved his open hand and made shushing noises.

"Now, now, this is intensely interesting. I think I remember something like this when I was at the Academy." The man then seemed to be searching his many pockets for something. "Now where did I put that? I know Mr Garibaldi gave it back to me. I am always misplacing things." The man smiled almost insanely happy.

Vir nodded with his own smile. He seemed to be enjoying himself just fine. Londo was about to thrust up out of his chair when a strange noise began to fill the air. It sounded like a great beast was roaring its death rattle, or a Narn opera, about the same to Londo.

He and Vir stared as a blue shed of some kind appeared in a corner of the room. Before he could so much as twitch his maned head to ask, the doors opened inward and a rectangular metal thing rolled out at an annoyingly high pitch.

"Ah K-9! Right on time, well done!" The Doctor whisked around the table and patted the thing on the head as little dishes whirred back and forth.

"Most satisfactory Master. Please note the console has a warning on it to be looked over." The Doctor nodded and smiled as he waved right at Londo. He watch the impossibly tall man disappear inside the shed, but the door was open. What was he doing in there?

Londo stood up and Vir followed him towards the open door.

"Please do not approach, I am fully armed and will stun you." A small profusion extended from the little metal thing and Londo felt it was actually serious.

"Great Maker! This is ridiculous, I made this meeting to see this man and he looks at me like a piece of meat!" Londo flared his hands and began pacing wondering what the man was doing just inside that tiny space.

After a few minutes, the man emerged with a piece of equipment that could not have possibly fit inside! It was a large box with many switches and buttons with a large oval display in the middle.

The Doctor was sternly looking it over and frowning.

"Dear, dear. It would seem we can't leave quite yet." The Doctor looked up and seemed to look very sadly at Londo.

"May I speak now?" Londo felt a disquiet just now, but his patience was long since worn out.

A quick nod and Londo was about to launch into his questions when the other alien came in.

"Sorry I am late I was just—" The woman froze in surprise and then smiled at the metal thing again.

"Well done K-9, good dog!" The little machine began to move a long antenna quickly back and forth in clear joy.

"Ah Romana, good, please double check my work as I talk with this interesting man!" Well at least the man had decent eyes.

They traded and Londo sat down with the Doctor.

"Now then, what is it you are doing here on Babylon 5 and why are you fiddling with that device here?" It was not strictly part of what he wanted to know, but only a fool passes on a chance at information.

"Ah well, it would seem that what started as a small anomaly has now turned into a rather serious issue. You are a time sensitive so surely you must feel a bit of it, but it is rather weak. Likely you only can see a serious event or 2 of your future, but I am afraid that unless Romana and I can solve this issue, this station may be gone and half the galaxy with it." The man dropped this bomb as he began to play with some kind of toy on a string that moved up and down to the twitch of his arm.

"Doctor, how can this be?" The shock in the woman's voice was clear and Londo felt a weight of dread settle over him. The same feeling he had been having every night since the duel.

"My best guess Romana is we changed the course of history too much, or we overlooked something. The real question is, can we fix this or will this entire place be pulled into the implosion that is quietly building?" The 2 seemed to forget Londo and Vir were there.

The quick look back at him dispelled that.

"My good man, you don't happen to know of any extremely advanced technology on the world below? I should point out I am on something of a deadline." The reference was not lost on Londo, he had been down there after all, but no one could go.

"It would be best if I consulted my government on this delicate matter—" The Doctor grabbed his arm in a grip like steel. A Narn might have been able to break free, but not a Centauri.

'Excellent idea, while we are at it, we could have that meeting you wanted." The Doctor was moving towards the shed again with Londo in tow.

"Doctor, is that wise?" The woman's questions seemed laced with some mirth but she was hauling the device.

"Not likely, but we are short on time. This gentleman has either been near a temporal event or is one, either way he knows about the planet. Take that to Kosh and monitor the build up. I will use the TARDIS to reach you." They were almost to the shed when the Doctor suddenly turned to Londo.

"I am so sorry, I am the Doctor and you are?" Great Maker this man was infuriating.

"I am Ambassador Londo Mollari of the Centaur Republic and—" Londo never got to finish as he was pushed inside the shed. "Great Maker!"

* * *

The Doctor smiled at the Centauri's reaction. A weak temporal field was around that man and it was interesting. It clearly was not stable, but it had been tweaked by something. He turned back to his companion and the clearly worried aide.

"Romana, take K-9 with you, we need to fix this quickly and then trace the events to see how we can fix this. The First Law of Time has not been violated yet but it might need to be in this case. Be ready." The grim visage of Romana was no doubt mirrored on his own.

It was highly dangerous to meet yourself as a Timelord, but if that is what it took, they were authorized to do so. The analysis of local Time had been frightening for the Doctor. It was as if everything was hinging on a single choice and down one path the galaxy continued and down the other, there was just nothing.

If they had caused this, they had to stop it and Babylon 5 did not have sufficient technology.

"Pleasure meeting you as well…uh…sir." The Doctor winked and whisked back into the TARDIS. Nearly 2 weeks away and it felt good. The Randomizer was indeed dark as intended for now. He was flicking the controls for the coordinates of what he and Romana had found deep beneath the surface but then he looked up to see Londo staring at the control room.

He waited, it usually took a bit, but the man was a bit prideful.

"I have gone mad, this cannot be. Great Maker how is this bigger on the inside?!" The Doctor laughed outright.

"I would not worry too much about that Ambassador, after all, we are about to go to the planet below." He pulled the lever and the rotor began to move as the TARDIS dematerialized from Babylon 5.


	8. Moment of Choice

_Not exactly a cliff hanger, but did not want to leave readers hanging. It always seems like my Doctor Who stories move as fast as the show to me._

 _I do not own Babylon 5 nor Doctor Who, the fact that my oldest memories are of the Doctor and my fondest memories are of Sheridan and Delenn taking on the Shadows and the Vorlon does mean they own me._

* * *

 _The TARDIS has been recovered but now it seems the Timelords' actions have had a drastic effect. The Doctor has gone to Epsilon III with Londo in tow while Romana takes a mysterious machine and K-9 back to their quarters._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Sheridan's Office**

"Am I to understand that one of our ambassadors has been taken by the Doctor?" Captain Sheridan felt like he had not woken up yet. Apparently the Doctor had found his ship and decided to take Londo for a joy ride off the station.

He looked up at Ivanova and Garibaldi as Vir stood to the side nodding.

"There was no way he got it through the corridors, but if Vir is telling the truth, this box can appear and disappear anywhere." Garibaldi was not amused anymore. The Timelords seemed to reach a good standing with him, but they had once again flouted the security procedures of the station.

Sheridan steepled his hands and hung his head for a moment to gather his thoughts. Technically speaking, he did not think Londo had been kidnapped. The actions of the 2 aliens had not been malicious, only accidents and ignorance, but that was 3 weeks ago.

Now, he would have to bring them in.

As if that thought had been a summons, Romana came in with a whining machine rolling behind her. Was that a dog?

"My apologies Captain Sheridan, I had to bring this up through the lifts and it is somewhat inconvenient to move." This was a large pastel panel about a foot thick with a large oval monitor in the center with several colorful lines interlaced on it. There were many switches and buttons as well but none of it was in any language he had ever heard of.

The blonde smiled wide at Ivanova and Garibaldi as she placed the panel on his desk. She then seemed to work a few of the controls without further ado.

"I am afraid I will need an explanation of the Doctor's actions Romana." Sheridan rose up and was pleased to see an apologetic smile on her face.

"So sorry, but we are in a rush at the moment. K-9, please interface me with the station computer." The dog whirred forward almost happily if the Captain was to guess.

"At once Mistress." The dog had a red panel where eyes would be and a small antenna emerged and pointed at his Bab-Com monitor.

Instantly the screen turned on and the same colorful lines were on the screen. The machine dog was in their system!

"Do you two know the meaning of security by chance?" Garibaldi was being sarcastic but he was deeply not amused now and Sheridan agreed.

"Again, sorry, but I am rushing this as I really like all of you and would like the station to not be destroyed in a nasty temporal event." The words were spoken testily, as if it should be obvious these were unusual circumstances. "Give me an update K-9."

"Mistress, Doctor Master has materialized at coordinates provided, but I have not received contact. Theorize he is still attempting to find source of temporal event. According to analyzer, paradox stress is increasing to level 4." The calm words only partially made sense, but Sheridan recognized the look of concern on Romana's face. It was the look of an expert getting bad news.

"Romana, what does that mean please?" Susan was trying a new tack and was rewarded with another smile of apology.

"Part of why we needed the TARDIS was to make sure we had not contaminated your timelines by our actions. Assuming we had fixed anything we changed or altered, we would have left immediately, but the Doctor found that was not the case." The woman turned a few of the dials and 3 lines appeared on the screen. One was steady and blue in the middle, but another was orange and had deep valleys and tall peaks that crossed the blue.

The third line seemed to just be flat after the midway point of the screen.

"I will do my best, but the Doctor would be better. Essentially the blue line represents your timeline before we arrived. It seems steady but there are steady pulses all along it. The choices you make, the consequences, all play out. The orange line is the reason we came here in the first place. It was not a problem, but we did not know that at the time." She sighed as the third line seemed to defy her analysis.

"The problem is that 3rd line. It should not be there, and worse, it is what we would call dead time. Essentially imagine all of what you know as reality coming to a halt. We need to know if we caused this but on top of that," she hit a button and a fuzzy green array of lines appeared to move across the screen. "That, is a building event that could cause that 3rd line. Babylon 5 does not have the technology we need to analyze this quickly, so the Doctor went to the best source we knew of."

Sheridan noted both Garibaldi and Ivanova tensed slightly as Epsilon III appeared on the screen.

He had read the reports, but if the ship of the Timelords worked the way they said, the danger should be minimal.

"And the Ambassador being taken?" Vir caused a small stir, the moment had been dominated by Romana spelling out potential doom for more than Babylon 5, but them all.

"The Doctor-Master wanted to know why the humanoid was partially affected by time field." The small metal dog gave an answer that had Sheridan raise an eyebrow.

"It is not serious, but the Centauri Ambassador seems to have been affected by a temporal event as well. We are Timelords and it is a rare thing to find. Also it may help the Doctor down on the planet." For a moment, Sheridan thought she held something back and after knowing the man for 2 weeks, he suspected it was the Doctor was just an intensely curious being.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sheridan put his hands behind his back and waited to list off orders if Romana gave them.

The woman looked up distractedly from the panel and smiled indulgently at him.

"Oh no, best you stay out of the way for this. Go about your day and will call if I need something." Captain Sheridan felt the dismissal was a bit rude, but if he had been in the middle of a serious event and someone ignorant tried to help, he would have been flippant too.

"Very well. Commander Ivanova, head to the CnC and keep traffic flowing and Mr Garibaldi, please make sure to be ready to relay anything Romana may need." He was about to leave when he noticed Vir waiting for orders. The gentle Centauri was a bit overwhelmed.

"Mr Cotto, please return to the Ambassador's quarters and we will let you know when Londo returns." The quick bob of his head and the man quickly left the room. He was likely heading for Londo's secret stash of good liquor.

The Babylon 5 crew headed out and hoped the Timelords could resolve this situation without causing a major station incident.

* * *

 **Green Sector - Level 5**

Delenn felt something wrong. Since her transformation into a Minbari-human hybrid, she had found she was even more sensitive to changes around her. Susan had said it was a woman's intuition, but even before, she had felt darkness.

Now, she felt something was wrong and it was confirmed when she saw Morden heading down the hall. He was clearly in a hurry and barely registered her presence, but he was looking for something or someone in a great need.

Anyone the Shadows needed that badly would normally be worth finding out, but she had to lay low. She could not overplay their hand. They were not ready to confront the ancient enemy yet.

She went in search of John to see what could be learned.

Morden had never seen them panic. The blue box vanishing had actually convinced him they were right to be concerned about these aliens. They could appear anywhere! No where was beyond them.

He was trying to find Mollari, but no one had seen him. His assistant had simply said he was off station, but no ship had left with him. Morden realized that left only one possibility and it chilled his blood. The Doctor had taken Londo with him off station. What would happen if he learned what they were doing? What would the Doctor do?

* * *

 **Epsilon III - the Great Machine**

"Gods, I must be mad. Great Maker, how can we be here?!" Londo was barely holding onto his sanity as the clearly mad Doctor smiled at every part of the corridor. He had muttered something about it being quaint and quickly pulled Londo after him.

They were now in the corridor where Draal would be hooked into the Great Machine. He was not opposed to seeing the elder Minbari, he had seemed like a good man, but this was not the time for such things.

Mr. Morden's associates were doing horrific things and the Centauri were too reliant on them, the war was going well but bloody, and the other races seemed to have fighting as well. He was not supposed to be trapped with a mad man in an impossible box deep in the insane planet!

"You really need to relax Londo, take a moment to enjoy the adventure. Life is too short to take so seriously you know." For supposedly being here to prevent a disaster, the Doctor showed no hurry. It was irksome to also be told to relax when there were no women, wine, or gambling to be had here. Insane, he was truly insane!

"I am curious, can you see the future?" The question stopped his hearts. He had only told a few of his visions of his death and of that horrific day on Centauri Prime. How could this stranger know?

"It would not be unusual, you have been touched by a fissure in time at some point and it attached to you a sort of echo. You also seem to be sensitive to it. So, have you seen the future?" The Doctor turned to him completely and the silliness was gone, the man seemed to become very imposing and denying him very unhealthy.

"Just twice. It is a thing we are said to have, to see the day we die, but then I saw a day in the future, I know not when, but I was on homeworld looking up and dark shapes began to fill the sky. Only a few, then more, until the sun was gone. It terrified me." Londo had his arms behind his back and holding himself erect. The Doctor stayed silent, waiting.

Sighing he finished. "My death will be 20 years from now, a little less I suppose now, but I will be choking the life out of a man named G'Kar and he will be choking me. A pleasant number of visions yes?" Londo held his arms open and waved at the infuriating man.

"Hmm, sounds a bit dark to me, but most beings would worry about death. The other one though, I think you wanted an answer to a dire question. You should probably think on those 2 visions of the future. It can be avoided you know." The man then smiled and went down the rest of the corridor.

* * *

The Doctor had been surprised by Londo's admission and the detail of what he saw. The death vision was old, he could feel it as the Centauri spoke, but the other was recent. Likely some event had broken through the barrier of his awareness to push him to look ahead.

It was a curiosity he badly wanted to look at, but he had more pressing things to look at.

The room held the center of control as expected. The complete lack of traps or misdirection was hopeful too. It meant the mind behind this place felt the danger and wanted his help. It was always easier to reason with the desperate than the stubborn. Londo definitely fell into the latter camp.

There was a man he saw was a Minbari hooked into the many tubes and sensors of this place. He seemed to be asleep but his senses told him otherwise.

"Um, hello! I am the Doctor and I was hoping to talk to the proprietor of this wonderful place. Any chance someone is home?" He heard Londo sigh and could feel the eye roll from behind him. He was not a man that liked to be at the mercy of other powers.

A yellow glow resolved into an image of the Minbari.

"I am Draal. Welcome to the Great Machine, Doctor. How can I assist with this emergency?" The Doctor smiled wide and quickly brought out his sonic screwdriver.

"I just need to know where the temporal circuits are and I need to know them quickly." A quick motion and a door opened that Londo and he had never known was there. He tucked his scarf tightly and began to run down the lit corridor. They were running out of time.

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Sheridan's Office**

"Mistress, contact has been made." Romana smiled wide and began to bring the analyzer up to the settings they would need. She would be an observer at best, but an essential moment would need to be relayed to the Doctor.

They were looking for a way to avoid this incident and it was going to be a near thing. The temporal stress was getting worse.

"Come on Doctor, what do we need to do?" She hoped he would hurry.

* * *

 **Epsilon III - The Great Machine**

Draal was unsure what to make of the TImelords. There were no records of them like every other race. The strange man was feverishly working and the senses he possessed could see that mostly they were data collection of some kind. He was still learning the wonder of the Machine and all it could do.

The Doctor seemed to know exactly what it could do.

Draal kept his face neutral as he saw Londo Mollari again. He was aware that the Shadows were using him, but there were signs he was rebelling. He had watched enough to know the prideful Centauri may yet be one of the keys in the war against the Shadow.

It saddened him of the wasted potential in the man. He was a good man, but he let his honor and duty to tradition bind him too strongly.

"Got it!" The Doctor jumped up with a wide smile on his face then it vanished. "Oh no. That is definitely not good, not good at all!"

The man whisked passed Draal and seemed to forget about Londo. The Centauri began to run after him. Draal was curious what the hurry was, but hopefully it was meant to stop the strange readings he was feeling in his bones.

"Great Maker wait for me!" Londo's yell was shortly followed by the sound of wheezing and roaring as had announced the arrival of the strange box. Draal wondered what was coming next and turned his 'eyes' to Babylon 5.

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Commander Susan Ivanova's quarters**

Talia felt at peace. The first few meetings had been rather mundane with Kosh. He was being gentle and easing into this, he even seemed to hope she might have some answers this time.

She remembered the strange negotiations he had her do last year, but the first thing he said was that was no longer needed.

She understood he had known of the thing inside her.

Now that things had begun to calm down for her, she needed to reveal to Susan all the Psi Corp had done and was likely still doing. The crew of Babylon 5 might not be able to stop them, but someone had to know.

She was brushing her hair when the sound filled the quarters. It was like a small whirlwind had come and every small item was knocked over as a blue box seemed to appear in the corner. She had only read the words 'Police Box,' when the Doctor suddenly came out of the open door.

"Talia, whatever you were going to do, stop!" He was breathing a bit heavier and was sweating with some stains on his cheeks, but he looked deadly serious. It was slightly hampered by a wheezing Londo Mollari that emerged from the box.

"Great Maker, how can you run so fast? Oh thank the Gods, we are back on the station, where are we?" The maned head turned and then froze as it saw the uniform in the bedroom closet.

"Oh dear, is this the Commander's quarters? Yes, I see it is. Well, as I have no desire to be shot, i will be going. Please, do not bother contacting me again. I shall be indisposed with a bottle of something, several bottles I suspect." He quickly made an exit but the Doctor never looked away from her.

"What do you mean?" Talia felt fear but she trusted this man like few others.

"I am not sure exactly what, but a decision you made has cause a strain on the timelines. It means something you are about to do will complete it and bring catastrophe. Tell me what you were thinking of doing but have not done yet?" The Doctor towered over her and for a moment, she appreciated how alien he could be.

The concern in his eyes was the only saving grace right then. This was not a vindictive creature, but one that was worried and she held the answers to his dilemma.

"Susan was right, about the Psi Corp, about all of it. I remember all they did to me and many things I kept inside because of that thing you took out. They deserve to know, they need to know." Tears began to flow and strangely it felt good to tell the Doctor. There was no judgement here, no pity, just a man who needed her to tell the truth.

A soft whirring sound came from a tiny tube in his hand and she heard the lock on the door engage.

"We may have company coming and I don't want to chance ending this corner of the galaxy by accident." The heavy sigh from him broke the spell of intimidation.

"I need you to promise to not tell people about this yet. It is important, it may be the most important thing you do. I am not saying it is forever, but not right now. Things are delicate and I suspect your actions will make the future impossible to occur. It means that someone from Psi Corp, likely that Bester, must come back to this station and he must be able to do what he does here." She felt a weight in her chest. He was not lying, she could tell, he had never lied to her.

He did not like asking this of her, probably because he felt responsible. He had done her a kindness, more than that her life had been saved, and now there was an unintended consequence.

It felt like her throat was dry, but he had asked something of her. He had given so much and now there was a price, a heavy price.

"I can block the memories if it makes it easier, but I leave the choice to you." The Doctor rose and waited, looking down at her. It would be so easy to let him block the memories, but he made it clear this was not forever, that one day they would come back and traumatize her all over again.

"No. I will not tell them, not any of them. I promise Doctor." She felt it then. The world seemed to shift for her, as if something had been pulling close and now the relief of it was felt. She heard him sigh and put a hand though his curly hair as he sat down on the couch.

"K-9?" The name meant nothing but the screen suddenly blinked on and an image of Captain Sheridan's office appeared with Romana and some kind of metal dog!

"Confirmed Master, temporal event averted. Full analysis needed before departure recommended." The tail began to wag and the look of relief on Romana told her something dangerous had been avoided.

"Get on with it then. I don't want to cause another near emergency if I can help it." The image winked out and now he smiled at her. It broke the tension of earlier completely.

"So what do I do now, Doctor?" She felt a few tears still on her cheeks but he wiped them away with his scarf. His smile was gentle now.

"Oh, I suspect you will be making a life for yourself and having adventures for many years to come. I will try to get a safe date for you to talk about what you remember, but for now, mums the word." He poked her on the nose and then stood up and seemed to take in for the first time where he was.

"Do you think the Commander will mind if I leave the TARDIS here? I have pushed her pretty hard in a short time and these little hops can be a bit tedious if not needed." He began to laugh as he unlocked the door and Susan's probably reaction got her laughing as well.

* * *

 **Morden's Quarters**

Mollari had returned, but he had flatly stated there was no hope of getting through to the Doctor diplomatically. He now had his box back and his Masters were worried about what he was going to do.

There were no more avenues to get information, so they were thinking of something drastic, but for now it was only talk. Morden began to suspect that the Doctor was a greater threat than the Vorlons could ever be.

Sharp noises began to fly in his room and he waited for his next instruction.


	9. Partings and Beginning

_Sorry for gap between chapters. I have had a hectic work time and honestly, tried to plan some fun and that went to shambles too. Not the best mindset to write._

 _With the coming of weekend that is all over!_

* * *

 _Things have reached a calm at last for the Timelords. Their fear of contamination was well founded as their actions nearly caused a destruction of Babylon 5 and its timelines. Now that is averted, the Doctor and Romana must be sure all else is fine before they can try to leave back to their own universe._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Morden's Quarters**

The month since their strange arrival, the Timelords had ruined Mr Morden's mood. He knew his associates were agitated, and Mollari's failure to get information had not helped. Strangely, he was not to be punished for that.

The gray suit was pressed neatly and his hair cleaned freshly as he finished dressing for today. They quick chirps had stopped and now they were acting normally again. Apparently they were ready to move on from this madness.

More attacks had begun again in the non-aligned worlds and Centauri Prime's forces were getting ready to strike the devastating final blow to the Narn homeworld. All was going back the way to what it should be.

His door suddenly swung open and he whirled in shock to find the Doctor smiling wide with his coat and scarf seemingly like armor now. It was not a friendly smile and he was holding some strange device in his hand that began to hum.

It set his teeth on edge but the Shadows suddenly rippled into normal visual spectrum and they seemed afraid.

"Ah, excellent. So good to find my theory correct. We need to talk gentlemen, I am finally freed up enough to see you have been up nonsense and we are going to talk directly about it." Gone was the buffoon he had witnessed and heard about. Even the first encounter seemed false to Morden now.

He understood now. He realized that despite looking like a weak human, this being was not human at all. This was the rage of a Timelord. He sank down onto his bed as the tall man entered the room and the door swung shut behind him.

* * *

 **Kosh's Quarters**

"It was all because the Doctor wanted to see the station. We were curious beyond the temporal anomaly. If we had known the serious breach of accords, we would have acted before now." Romana was putting the viewer back together. It was with a highly modified part, but Kosh felt it was still compatible.

Delenn had come to ask about the strange actions of the enemy's agent on the station, but the Timelords had instantly taken on the task. Kosh was angry himself at the break of the accords. He might be able to get a concession from them, but it would take some doing.

"You found the lost notes and now the circle is safe?" It was his one remaining concern. All they had told him said they had to seal it behind them, but the frown on Romana gave him hope in a way.

"Unfortunately, while we avoided the crisis, we still have the dead time. It is not something we can ignore. The longer we stay though, the more likely hood we can cause another crisis. We are not part of the original events and Talia is the key for now to keeping things moving." The blonde mane got caught and without pause, Kosh freed her up.

She smiled gratefully to his help and finished with the viewer.

"For now, we need to remove the Shadows from the board, that is if they are supposed to go. K-9 gave it a 96.7% possibility they would cause another crisis left unchecked." Kosh wondered how only the 2 of them would force the enemy off, but then the viewer clicked on.

They were looking at the enemy as they faced the Doctor. Kosh took one look at the Timelord's face and felt an ancient quail of terror. There was the Timelords he had expected. It seemed the friendly faces were part of them, but the total dominion of Time was theirs.

The Vorlons had not risen above them at all.

* * *

 **Morden's Quarters**

The Doctor let his anger show. It was not purely at them but at the impotence of what he wanted to do. Now that he had the TARDIS, he understood many things that made him angry. The Shadows made the Daleks seem like innocent puppies!

Orchestrating wars, wiping out civilizations, not out of need to dominate or even to rule, but to almost play with them like toys and to get them to choose.

The Vorlons were not any better, but he could do nothing there either. The TARDIS and K-9 agreed this was not something he could change. The horrific loss of life appalled him!

"As you can see I can rip away your protection at my will. Further, you are now under the watchful eyes of my companion Romana and Ambassador Kosh." These revelations brought shock to the room.

He knew there was only one way to get them to leave for now and it was barely acceptable to him.

"I will keep this brief as I may do something I regret if I stay. You will leave this station in peace or I will expose you here and now. I will allow the Vorlons to drag you out into the open. Do you understand me?" He put every once of his rage into his words. He was almost yelling but brought it down.

"I can do this because you broke the accords. They clearly stated that you were NOT allowed to contact us due to your creation of the temporal weapons. Rassilon specifically chose 4 races who had acted in defense and tried to end the weaponry. Only the Vorlons remain." It had been his own foolish rush to see this place that caused part of this issue.

The Shadows had been trying to get into the TARDIS to likely find out why he was here and to see if they could deny him his technology.

"I made this purely from the technology of Babylon 5, do you understand what this means?" The cobbled together device barely worked, but it did work, that was the important part of this bluff.

The creatures quickly began to speak over each other and he held up the device again. Silence reigned.

"You," he pointed to the human in the room, "are their agent here. Is your business done?" It was not easy to act angry and ask this information, but the Doctor found rage to spare.

"Yes." The simple answer from the pale human told the Doctor he might be overplaying his hand but he got what he wanted.

"Then you will leave on the next transport off this station. You will not return until Romana and I have left. Kosh will let you know. I have his word and he knows I will be watching." The Doctor turned off the device and stared hard before whirling and leaving the room.

* * *

Morden was sweating. He had known fear from his masters, but this had been worse. He understood this being could hurt them without his ship. He was the most dangerous enemy they had.

He nodded at the quick instructions and made plans to leave the station. He never questioned this order. He also knew that look of fury would haunt him for the rest of his life. He hoped to never see a Timelord ever again.

* * *

 **Delenn's Quarters**

"This is really quite remarkable." Lennier almost twitched as the tall man in coat and scarf picked up one of the crystals that made up Minbari technology. It was part of the ritual of renewal, but the Doctor carefully placed it back.

He was like a whirlwind, but his companion was polite enough. Romana was observing him more than the room.

"Your bone structure is very interesting, tell me, how are injuries at the back of the skull treated?" Her curiosity was on par with Dr Franklin, but he bowed to her question as the Doctor continued to roam the room.

"Our healers have long ago learned how to operate on critical areas, but injury beneath my hind bone is very difficult to achieve. For instance, it is harder for a Minbari to have a concussion as—" His words cut off as the door opened and Delenn returned.

Romana respectfully stood and bowed to her, but the Doctor just smiled and waved.

"Hello, it so good to see you again!" The man then crossed the room and almost insanely shook her hand!

Lennier went through several calming techniques his time at temple had taught him. It was not disrespectful and Delenn was smiling wide.

He bowed to all and respectfully withdrew as he was not sure he could handle the Doctor much longer. He would never judge any human as confusing as the Doctor.

* * *

Delenn noted Lennier pulling back to the inner chamber and smirked. No doubt his training and experiences on Babylon 5 had not prepared him for the burst of life the Doctor was. She pointed for the 2 to be seated and also sat down.

It had been an eventful month since they arrived but she had been happy to hear of their release and that they wanted to talk.

"This all truly wonderful Delenn. I have been to many worlds but what I have seen of Minbari intrigues me deeply. I wish I could see your homeworld." The Doctor looked with open joy at her room. She blushed deeply at his honest compliment and she felt he was s true seeker of the world. He wanted to see it all and enjoy it all.

"I would be happy to show you some time if you wish to go." It only hurt a little to wonder if she would be allowed to show him her world. The Gray Council had not banished her, but they made it clear she should stay on Babylon 5. Her transformation into part human had not been well treated.

"I am sad to say we will not be able to go anywhere beyond the station. We wanted to talk to you after many meetings with Kosh. We feel you need to understand about us. Also, you were very kind to us." The smile on Romana warmed her heart, but she was happy to be included on this. Kosh had been less than forthcoming, but he usually was.

"He is not a bad fellow, give him a few more centuries and we might get him to laugh." The Doctor was winking at her and the smile was infectious but then he turned at her seriously.

"We are Timelords from Gallifrey. Delenn, we know of your war with the Shadows, but your work is back breaking. Anything I can do for you?" His open and earnest request caused a stare from Romana, but Delenn had long ago accepted her role.

"I thank you for the offer, but we must each act according to our gifts. Honestly, I am not sure you would not make things a bit more chaotic Doctor." She smiled but her words were true. This past month had made it clear that whatever intentions the 2 had, chaos flowed in their wake.

"It seems your reputation is intact Doctor." Romana smiled wide at her as the Doctor tutted at them both and seemed to pout.

He stood up and paced the room a bit before focusing on one of the devices for meditation.

"In any case, the Doctor was correct but you need to understand, this is not our universe." Romana continued and Delenn found her heart racing as she learned the universe was even more amazing than she had suspected.

As Romana wound down, Delenn found she was overwhelmed.

"Would you like a jelly baby?" The Doctor was now looking at her kindly had holding a very wrinkled bag to her. The green sweet was soothing and she felt the universe calming within her.

"I have always known we are each made of the stars, but to know there is so much. It is truly wonderful." She smiled wide and saw the Doctor smile just as wide.

"Would you like to see something wonderful? I call her the TARDIS." The Doctor held out his hand and she only paused a moment before taking his hand. She wondered what else he could possibly show her.

* * *

 **Embarkation**

Mr Bester was shaken. He did not show it, but he was swallowing the bitter pill that for now he had failed the Corp. Ms Winters was protected by the Vorlons and nothing could be done. All avenues, even some not strictly legal had been thwarted.

He would not give up, but so long as the aliens were involved, he clearly was at a disadvantage. The mundanes around him were more annoying than usual but for once, he kept his scans reigned in. He did not know where or when those aliens would show up.

Still, he had not gotten ejected like last time. He would be back to Babylon 5. It would have to be official or something that lined up with their rules, but he would be back.

Bester smoothed down his black uniform and walked out to his ship. The wide berth all gave him was helping his wounded pride heal. There would be another time, Babylon 5 was a nexus of trouble after all.

* * *

Talia watched him go and felt cold. Susan had asked, but she had skirted around the forbidden words. She had told Ivanova she had no feelings for the Corp now and that whatever had been done to her had made her question her feelings.

Susan had cleared up that with a bone crushing hug and a kiss. She understood though that things would take time. Talia felt a smile and warmth spread as that memory took hold. She felt strange without her pin for the Corp too.

No gloves, no pin, and no gray dress. She was not the old Talia, but someone new. She also felt the weight of the secrets that kept this wonderful home safe. The Doctor was working to get her a safe date to talk. He said it would take time, but would not leave until he was sure.

The new dark green dress moved with her as she walked back towards her quarters. Her new life was taking shape and it felt so much lighter even with the secrets.


	10. Tragedy and Change

_I am enjoying long weekend, but wish I could spend it with my friends. Everyone has plans and I am very much asking last minute._

 _This works out for my readers as now I spend the scorching afternoon adding to the story!_

 _I do not own anything of Babylon 5 or Doctor Who, but I would not say no to a visit in this heat!_

* * *

 _The Doctor and Romana have avoided a temporal crisis so far and overcome the obstacles of the Psi Cop Bester and the interference of the Shadows. There are still issues to resolve, the critical analysis of the timelines to avoid the dead time continues._

 _Babylon 5, however, does not peacefully wait for the Timelords to sort things out._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Med Lab**

The Doctor looked darkly at the reports. He was not a source of energy or consternation now. It had been a rough couple of weeks since things had settled on his end of the problems, but now he saw the end of another race.

The Markab were now a dead race. He and Franklin had worked so hard with his staff to find both a cause and a cure. Now, because of heir beliefs that 'the Pure' would survive, all of them were dead.

Worse, the entire world was dead. He had seen far too many of these tragedies to lose control, but his hearts hurt that for all his knowledge as a Timelord, he was powerless in front of such a thing as disease.

He had been on this station longer than most places save Earth. He badly missed Sarah Jane and Brigadier right now. Even Harry would have been a help somehow to distract him. He felt all his 750+ years right now looking at the numbers of the dead.

Franklin had collapsed now, exhausting himself with stims and little to no sleep. He had lost a friend and many patients because of this.

Romana was with Lennier as Delenn was with Sheridan. The 2 Minbari had gone to comfort the Markab in their self imposed isolation and were the sole witnesses to their last moments. He admired the mettle it took to do that and not be destroyed by it.

He put his hat on his head and headed to the TARDIS. He needed to finish the analysis of all possible events to avoid the dead time. He failed a race of people, he could at least make sure the rest survived to remember them.

* * *

 **Zocalo**

Talia was never more glad for her new shields than now. She had been officially meeting with Kosh and learning amazing things about what she could do, now that the Psi Corp was not going to be ripping her apart or making her spy on everyone.

It had been a joyous exploration of her gifts and Romana with Susan seemed to relish her stories. She could share everything but Kosh was equally finding her perspective helpful. He was seeing things from a new perspective.

It is a new mirror turned slightly. It was very hard to understand him sometimes but she was getting better at things like that.

Anytime he was not with Captain Sheridan, she was able to see him. Now she was just finishing another job as the resident telepath of B5. She still held the job, but the Corp had hinted it would be willing to do more if she would share information with them.

It was a tightrope, but it also kept her safe. She loathed dealing with them, but knew there were telepaths just like her, that had been lied to and used by the Corp. She knew there still others that really believed in what they were doing and loved their job.

Nothing in the Corp nor Kosh's meetings could prepare her for the death of a race. It was both horrifying by itself and the reactions were just awful. Garibaldi had already had to arrest a few people and Susan had basically become disgusted with a lot of the human reactions.

She just wished the weight of her secrets could be lifted soon. It was killing her to see questions in Susan's and Garibaldi's eyes. They did not ask out of respect, but they were her closest friends.

The wall between her and Susan was because of these secrets as well, because until she could tell all, she knew she could not explore her heart completely. It was heavy, but the Doctor and Romana always listened. They made it bearable. They were quite strange and not ever truly intimate as a friend, but they were true.

This had to end though, the sooner the better.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

Romana and K-9 looked at the timelines for the millionth time. Every ounce of her training said they had made this mess, but it was compounded by the paradox, the circular events of this place.

They had acted in accordance with the laws of Gallifrey, but it had resulted in the very thing they wanted to avoid. Of all the people to be touched by the Timelords, Talia Winters was apparently one of the worst they could have changed.

The Doctor was far more experience, but even he knew they were trying to operate the finest of filaments of events through the equivalent of a black hole. Every step brought them closer if they tried to move things, but if they left them alone, it ended anyway. The inevitable pull of the most destructive force in the universe seemed appropriate.

The fact it hadn't happened meant there must still be a way out, but they were stuck. They needed something new to happen. They needed someone or some event to occur to show them the way through.

* * *

 **Mars**

A man desperately runs down a tunnel beneath the domes. He has to warn them. They were in danger. The entire movement would be exposed if they fell!

He was injured and he knew hope was fading. It was when the darkness was closing that he found his contact.

"What happened?!" The shock was warming but he was running out of time.

"They are coming, no time! You have to go, and get this information to them. You have to warn them. Babylon 5 is in danger!" Death was coming but he saw the data crystal get deposited and the nod.

He felt a pat on the back and then darkness closed in. He smiled as it happened. They could scan him if he was dead. Babylon 5 needed to be saved, they had to be warned.

* * *

 **The Tardis - 3 weeks later**

"Mistress, the analysis has changed." K-9 brought Romana out of the lab and back into the control room. There was nothing else she and the Doctor could do, but they had been meeting interesting people. An Ambassador G'Kar was currently stressing a lot of people out, but Londo was not much better.

Romana sympathized the war footing causing issues across the galaxy. She and the Doctor both knew the Shadows were egging this on, but the question she had was why would anyone do that?

The thoughts faded as she saw the scanner.

For a solid month it had remained unchanged. The intersecting wave and the blue continued to a point then became dead time suddenly. Nothing they did could change anything but the date that dead line started.

Now, it blinked off. It came back but was not as strong as before. She began to move around the console and confirming when it began.

"K-9, what has happened in the last 3 standard hours?" She never stopped moving but had confirmed that the moment they had been seeking had arrived. There was a way out of the problem at last!

"Mistress, an unidentified human female has been taken to Med Lab 1. She is not registered as coming to the station and is unconscious." He wagged his tail at the blatant hacking of the Bab-Com system. Garibaldi would be sighing somewhere if he knew she was sure.

"Tell the Doctor to get there now, I am going to Captain Sheridan." She flipped the lever for the door and headed to Babylon 5 Captain's Office.

* * *

 **Med Lab 1**

Franklin had been in the middle of analyzing his newest patient when she had leapt up off the bed and held a laser scalpel up as a weapon.

"I want to see the command staff, all of you! I do not want to be alone with any of you!" Her red hair was a mess and she had bruises and contusions, but nothing to stop her from being a threat.

Franklin was about to call security when the storm arrived.

"My dear woman! I have never been so happy to see trouble on two legs in my all my lives. Would you like a jelly baby?" The Doctor was in full coat, scarf and hat, smiling wildly as he held out the wrinkled bag of sweets. No one knew where he got them from and Franklin had not been able to find out anything from the one Garibaldi gave him.

The target of his questions actually stood open mouthed, and he could appreciate the confusion coming over her.

Franklin blinked and suddenly she was disarmed and holding the bag of sweets.

"Ah good, now that is better. Why don't you start at the beginning, I am the Doctor and would be very happy to hear it all!" The Doctor himself held the scalpel now as he popped one of his own sweets into his mouth.

Franklin did not bother calling security. With the Doctor there was rarely a point anymore.

* * *

 **Sheridan's Office**

"You are saying she is a telepath Micheal?" Sheridan was looking at the rundown of one Lyta Alexander. She was a registered P5 that had briefly served as the resident telepath on Babylon 5.

"Yep, she was here when we had the attempt on Kosh's life. Hell of a first day for all concerned." The chief was standing loose with his hands in his pockets. He had smelled this trouble out, but now it seemed it was more.

"And you are saying she is what you have been waiting for all this time?" Sheridan turned to the other person in the room. Romana was wearing some kind of old dress today. He thought it might be from 20th century Earth, but he was hard pressed to keep up on any fashion these days.

"This has been a delicate thing for us Captain. We have affected a lethal change to the timelines and not been able to avoid it. Now that this woman arrived, it seems we have a way out if we can approach it delicately." Romana brushed a strand of hair behind her ears as she spoke.

Of the 2, Sheridan would have accepted Romana as the delicate one, but the Doctor was a close second to Londo for causing a ruckus just by opening his mouth.

Of the nearly 3 months they had been on the station, for all the amazing work and help they had been, the Doctor had been at the center of at least 3 near riots and accused of cheating at card games in Down Below. He always seemed innocent, but that smile made Sheridan think of a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar every time.

Garibaldi had tried to tail the man, but he had seemed to learn the ins and outs of the station so well it was impossible. Also, he could be just standing there and trouble seemed to find him. Oddly, crime had plummeted of the more nefarious variety and Garibaldi had even had mysterious informants send evidence of serious nature on dust trade and other issues.

K-9 always came to mind on that, but no one asked.

Just as we was about to call Franklin, in walked the Doctor with Lyta.

* * *

"Ah good we are all here. Captain Sheridan this young lady is Lyta Alexander and she brings dire news about a threat to your resistance movement." Shock flooded Sheridan at this open declaration, but the Doctor just stood there smiling and offering jelly babies to Romana.

"Doctor, just once you could try to quietly enter the room." Romana admonished him but took the sweet.

"You need to feel the fun in the moment, besides, I think you will find what Ms Alexander has to say just fascinating. I know I did." For a moment the tone changed. Up to that point it had been irreverent and authoritative. He was in command of the room. The last words though were hard edged with anger. It was something Garibaldi had mentioned but had been hard pressed to convey.

He had said, 'I would not like to get the Doctor angry, I like the station where it is.'

Sheridan had not understood, but just now he felt a chill like he had not felt since facing the Black Star in the war. He has just seen an implacable enemy and tenacious being show his anger.

He knew he had to get the rest of his staff here now too it seemed as the Doctor looked expectantly at him. He tapped the back of his hand.

"Commander, grab Franklin and Talia and meet me in my office. Make it quick please." Sheridan then put his hands behind his back and looked at his guests. "I don't suppose I can get a quick run down of what to expect."

"Oh not much Captain, just further proof that if I were to ever visit the Psi Corp, you would not have a Psi Corp anymore." The room froze as the Doctor spoke. All could see it now. He was angry and clearly agitated. Lyta was holding her head in a bit of pain but clearly they had not lowered their shields.

This was not the friendly man they had come to know, this was why Kosh had told him over and over again they offered the protection for the Timelords to help the station. Clearly, the Vorlons had met them before and knew this feeling.

It passed and the Doctor seemed ashamed.

"Apologies, it is best to wait for all the staff Captain. I am hopeful we will soon be out of your hair but that is yet to be determined." He took his hat off and put it in a pocket as he practically fell onto the couch.

It was if a spell was broken and Sheridan could not even be sure it had happened. He knew though, that if the Doctor had told him to do something in that moment he would have done it.

What was it that Lyta Alexander had told him, and what was she here to tell them that his little cell of resistance was exposed?


	11. The Way Out

_Thought I was done for today but due to unforeseen circumstances, as in there is a certain Timelord saying he has things to do in my head, we shall continue. For those familiar with Babylon 5, I believe you might well know my intentions._

 _Here is hoping you all enjoy it. The ride is coming to an end for this one, but not quite yet._

 _I of course do not control a TARDIS know own stock in a space station in, but you could totally offer either and I would do it._

* * *

 _Lyta Alexander, on the run from the Psi Corp, has come to Babylon 5 to warn them of a danger. The Doctor got to her first and now all are in Sheridan's office waiting for her to speak._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Sheridan's Quarters**

Lyta felt very odd. She had been on the ragged edge of exhaustion and fear the last few months of her life, but she had to risk this trip to Babylon 5 for various reasons. Although she had come to warn them, there was a larger reason for her personally.

That had been pushed back when she met the Doctor. His candid and almost lunatic behavior was only part of the shock on meeting him. His mind was like a muted sun, just behind a filter. So was this Romana. They clearly were close to Babylon 5 staff, but none of her contacts had warned her about them.

She had heard that Bester had been rebuffed about something, but they had never been able to get the details. Even the Corp had not wanted to really talk about it at all.

She saw why when Talia Winters walked in. They were technically the same level, P5, but her shields were like an iron fortress. They had no chinks and were amazing to see. She also noted the woman did not wear the gloves nor the emblem on her chest. She even seemed to be intentionally wearing a dark blue dress that seemed to defy the black and grays recommended by the Corps.

Telepaths were meant to be useful, but not stand out, that was the credo of the Corp.

She felt chills a bit, but envy too. She wanted that feeling she saw in Talia.

"Ms Alexander, I understand you have had a rough time of it, but all the people in this room I trust with my life and then some. Please explain this danger to us." Sheridan was like a beacon in the room. He was the center of the Babylon 5 staff. If he was a bright star to guide, the Doctor was like a storm of sun fire. He did not pull things to him, but you could never not be aware of him.

He smiled kindly at her and waited with Romana on the couch as the view of the interior of the station stretched behind them.

"Please know that 2 good men died and I don't know how many others to get this information out of Mars. I was chosen because I was familiar with B5 and most of the staff. We have found out that the Corp has a sleeper program, a terrifying one." Instantly, Lyta saw Talia stiffen. Not in anger but in recognition. Fear bloomed in her own heart but the Doctor chose to cough at that moment.

She saw him wave his hand and just nod sagely at her. He was telling her it was safe. He had seemed to know what she was bringing and it had been terrifying to see his anger slowly build about it. It was not present now.

"Sorry, please continue Lyta." His voice left no choice to her. It was like trying to defy a force of nature.

"Anyway, they take someone and tear them down with torture, drugs, and deep scans. The point—" she froze as Talia stepped forward.

"The point is to implant a new, totally loyal personality to the Corp. It will then be hidden behind the original and all traces wiped. It will be implanted into the subconscious where even a deep scan would not find it." Talia was crying as Lyta watched. She felt her fear fade as she understood. That was how the Doctor knew about the program. It had already been dealt with.

All were staring at Talia in confusion but the Doctor and Romana were suddenly just there. No one seemed to know when they had moved but she clearly drew strength from them. They just as quietly returned to their place on the couch.

"The original person would be destroyed. The person themselves would not know. Does that sound correct Lyta?" The soft voice was so loud in the silent room. Lyta saw the Commander Ivanova and Garibaldi both move as the aliens had done. This time she fell into an embrace of the Commander as Garibaldi patted her on the back.

"They did it to you didn't they?" Lyta was in shock. Somehow, she had brought redundant information, but how had this not already been known? The shock on all but Talia and the other 2 made it clear they had known.

"I removed it during a delicate situation caused by my foolishness Lyta. It was not an easy thing and it was a butcher job if ever I saw one." The room mood changed. All turned to find the Doctor standing and looking like he could bend the universe to his will right then.

"I have faced power mad tyrants, insane dictators, Daleks, Sontarans, and Cybermen throughout my lives, but none have ever come up with something like that!" The scarf seemed alive as he paced around the room to gather himself it seemed.

"Why did you keep this a secret, even Talia?" Sheridan brought the room back to him. He was just as angry but at the secret kept as well. The Doctor did not flinch but looked at Lyta for a moment. She was confused as to why but he sighed and seemed to make a choice.

"It was the crisis we averted. We told you that talking about it was the most dangerous at that time and it was. K-9?!" The screen suddenly blinked on and all turned to it. What was that?

"Master, as you predicted, probability of dead time has dropped to 20% and been delayed. End of report." The screen snapped off and Lyta saw Garibaldi roll his eyes slightly but he stayed with the weeping Talia and the Commander.

* * *

Sheridan felt shock enter him now. He realized the Timelords had been doing their best to keep them all safe and the time they had been spending with Talia made far more sense. They were the only ones that knew!

He ran a head through his hair and nodded to Susan to take Talia and the rest out. He knew there would be more and he would hear it.

Lyta was escorted out, but she seemed somewhat deflated. Her important information was seemingly lost, but she would be corrected on that. She had just saved the station. He had a few other questions as well, like why she was on the run.

The room was cleared of all but he and the Doctor. Romana had no doubt gone to answer questions for Talia if she needed her. Romana was good like that.

The Doctor was cool now. His anger was not at Babylon 5 and he seemed tired.

"It is something of a weakness of mine Captain. I can't stop caring about humans. You are quite my favorite species but sometimes I wonder why I like you so much." He turned and there was a bone deep sadness Sheridan well understood.

It was always known by humans themselves that the greatest darkness was not the unknown or the other in aliens, but in their own race that could make them just want to give up.

Sheridan pointed to the chair in front of his desk and seated himself as well.

"So, what do we do now? The threat is not gone but I assume from that little display you expected it?" The Doctor brushed off his coat, as if gathering his thoughts. He also ran a hand through his curly hair before looking at the Captain and once more was reminded this was an alien across from him, not a human.

"From all our analysis you are not going to like what I am about to say and I suspect you will now be burdened with accepting it as well. Mr Bester must come back to Babylon 5 in the future. I cannot say for sure when or why, but he must. He must also be allowed to do what he has to do here, whatever limitations you would like to put on him, but he must do it. If he does not, things will swiftly come to an end here." The Doctor clearly disliked what he said but he did not have the anger now. The clear distaste was there, but Sheridan understood this too.

They would have taken Bester apart if they had learned what had happened to Talia, she may have even been expunged from the Corp for revealing this. They had to find a way to cover themselves.

Just as he was thinking what they could do, the Doctor put a data crystal on the desk.

"Apparently, Kosh knew about this and took precautions. I have added the data from my own repair of Talia's mind. From what we have been able to gather, this should keep you at a stalemate with the Psi Corp, but sadly I do not know what will happen otherwise." Sheridan took the gift and nodded honest thanks. This would be a big help.

The Doctor stood and seemed to still be thinking on something.

"What will happen now?" Sheridan wondered if this was goodbye, but the Timelord looked at him with a smirk on his face.

"We are not done yet. Romana will work with Talia and we have a few more people to set onto correct paths. We have been doing our best and now made a large leap, but the dead time is still there. If it can drop to 10%, I can leave it in your hands. Besides," he put on his hat as he moved to the corridor entrance, "I rather like this place of yours Captain. Truly a remarkable place."

The Doctor patted the hallway as he left and seemed to start whistling a song his father used to whistle when he was a kid.

* * *

 **Holding Cell 5**

The Doctor strolled through Security. Garibaldi was with Talia and the others no doubt. They were good people here, no question. Sarah Jane would have liked a lot of them, save maybe the carrion eaters.

He felt better now they were over the hump, but he and Romana had been careful this time. They knew they had still changed events for this moment and someone needed to know things were not in vain.

He saw the guards tense up as he approached, but he just smiled and waved as he walked in. She was not a prisoner after all.

Lyta looked tired and she would need sleep soon, but she also looked defeated. She looked up in surprise to see him so soon after the revelations in Sheridan's office. He waved and they closed the door.

He then took out his sonic screw driver and muted the microphone abilities. The camera still worked, so the Garibaldi could not complain too much.

"You save this station and all the people in this place. You should know that." He saw her straighten up at that. He also saw a glimmer of pride there. Good, but he was not done.

"Kosh spoke of you, we know you touched his mind. I have not told anyone of course, not my place." Caution and fear were there now, but he smiled. She was truly ragged and tired. She needed to know a few things.

"Talia will be here going forward, but there may be a place for you here one day too. She has been through the horror of the Psi Corp as well. I hope you can work together to see a change in that place and how telepaths are treated one day." He took a seat at the table in the room and looked at her seriously.

He saw the questions in her mind, but even he did not have the full answers. He was simply hedging his bets as the humans would say. He knew this woman was a nexus as much as Talia. He only could hope it would work out.

He offered a jelly baby, which she took and he headed out the door. As he had told the Captain, there were a few more people to talk to before they could even try to leave.

* * *

 **Talia's Quarters**

It was quite crowded compared to normal. Susan and Garibaldi were sitting on chairs talking about the common things while Romana poured water for everyone. Even with her new shields, alcohol was a dangerous thing.

She smiled as Romana gave all a drink. Her eyes felt puffy but all in this room quietly waited for her to talk. She felt so much lighter, but she knew the Doctor had told her a hard truth about Bester too. She knew he would be back.

Sighing, she began to talk. It was like poison was being taken from her heart and soul as these 3 quietly absorbed it. Their eyes never judged or pitied. They simply welcomed it all and accepted it all.

At some point the words ran out and she felt Susan's arms around her again as Garibaldi looked on warmly. For all his rough exterior, he was a gentle man at moments like this. It was new beginning with them all and maybe for the first time she could really call people family.

Babylon 5 was her home and she would not be alone here anymore.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

The Doctor looked at the numbers and knew he was close. He highly suspected the last issue to resolve was not in the here and now, but the future. Still, he and Romana were limited in what they could do. It left him one more conversation, one more choice to guide.

He felt truly old now, because this time he was going to have to break a heart. All the events told him this was how it had to be or it would all fall to ruin.

There were times, he reflected, that being a Timelord was not all some people would make it out to be.


	12. Price for the Future

_Lots of time off means I have lots of time to think and write. Anyone who may have been there for my publishing before, I generally go really fast and go to the finish line._

 _I do not own either Babylon 5 or Doctor Who, I would be happy if I could get a Blu Ray of both in complete sets though._

* * *

 _The dead time has been greatly delayed and reduced, but it is not gone. Lyta reveals the Corp's program of sleeper agents, but thankfully it had been aborted before she arrived. The secrets are falling away, but the Doctor looks grim as he waits for someone._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Talia's Quarters**

Romana looked at the now sleeping woman. It had been hours since she had revealed all that had been done to her. Per the Doctor's instructions, she cautioned Ivanova and Garibaldi about Bester and the future.

Neither seemed inclined to agree, but Talia revealed he was not anywhere in her memories of the program. She also revealed a lot of things the implanted persona had hidden about, like a supposedly dead Psi Cop sending Horn earlier in the year to kill Isogi.

She had talked until it seemed like there could not be anymore. Romana had sympathized completely, having heard a great deal of it from her before. She also knew the mental strain on her had been great and kept an eye on her shields throughout.

The Doctor had trained her well and she and been an attentive student.

"She carried that for these past months and you 2 kept me out of it?" Garibaldi had gone off to talk to Lyta, but the Commander was now staring at the Timelord. Here was one that was currently not happy the TARDIS was in her quarters nor at what had come to pass.

"It was the cause of near rip in space and time. The result of which would have erased all you know, as if it never existed until the pressures were balanced back out." Romana was gentle but it was not easy for humans to understand the delicate nature Time could have. Usually, it was resilient and unforgiving, but in the right circumstances it could be downright frightening in how easy it was to completely unravel.

"We did not abandon her to this, we helped how we could and searched hard to find the time she could talk freely about it." Romana had spent many nights with Talia as the Doctor and K-9 toiled over calculations and readings. None of it had helped until just this day. but the groundwork had prepared them for the change.

Some of the steel left the woman's eyes, but a wrinkle was on her brow.

"Does this mean she has held back from us because she thinks that thing may have manipulated her?" Romana would have rather had Talia answer this one, but the wounds may be too fresh. The Timelord had had the conversation however.

"She is not sure entirely. The persona was not active on a conscious level. It received information and very gently nudged her down certain directions. I think she truly likes all of you in the ways you accept already, but she has called into question her own feelings. It is not something that is easy to sort out after that mess was removed." It had happened on Gallifrey, when a mind was damaged or broken, the repair of it may work but it could take a regeneration before it is all sorted back out.

"Damn Psi Corp." Those 3 words seemed to be a personal mantra for the Commander.

Her link beeped and she hit it a bit harder than intended.

"What?!" The frustration was clear, but she seemed to grasp the situation. Talia had a ways to go before she knew where she stood with all of them again.

"Commander, you better come to your quarters, we seem to have a situation." Garibaldi's voice was a surprise to both, he was supposed to be with Lyta but that had been 3 hours ago. Something might have happened with the TARDIS, but Romana would have been asked for then too.

"Go, I will tend to her until she wakes up." Romana wondered what had happened but the Commander stormed out and she went back to cleaning up the glasses and doing what she could to send gentle thoughts to the bundle of exhausted feelings right next to her in the room.

* * *

 **Ivanova's Quarters**

Her door was open when she got there. Likely, Garibaldi had propped it open so it might be serious. Had someone broken in, trying to get at the thrice cursed Doctor's TARDIS?

She entered the room to find it dimmed, but before she could ask a question, the door closed and the trill of the sonic screw driver enabled the lock. The lights came on to reveal the Doctor sitting in one of her chairs. His hat was not on but the coat and scarf remained.

She felt a tremble when she looked at him, the slim power she had as a telepath told her these 2 were not human at all. They had never asked her, but now and again she had seen them glance at her in odd ways.

"I apologize for the deception. Mr Garibaldi has spoken around K-9 enough for a sampling. He objected to this as well, didn't you K-9?" The metal dog rolled out and was not wagging its tail or antennae now.

"Master overrode my objections. Many apologies." He then bowed his head and seemed contrite. Honestly it was an amazing piece of technology but often she thought of it as a dog, not a robot.

The Doctor patted him on the head and flicked his hand to the open doors of the TARDIS.

"Come with me Commander, we need to talk." The Timelord's imposing presence drew her on. She had heard about it and seen glimpse of it, but it was the first time it was directed at her.

She had also heard about the TARDIS but it was still shocking to enter the white room that was far larger than the exterior. The rondels spaced throughout the walls gave a very clean feel to the ship, but the wooden coat hook and the easel in the corner made it feel less like a ship, and more like a home.

She also felt a pressure on her head just being there. It was as if someone was knocking on the door of her mind.

"There old girl, she is a friend, be polite." The pressure vanished instantly. "So sorry, the TARDIS is used to connecting to telepathic waves. I should have warned you." The stark flash of terror in her gut was not in time to exit the closing doors.

"You really need not worry, Romana and I knew the moment we saw you. We also know the asinine rules about telepaths in service. You have no worry on that front from us." The Doctor was flicking switches but there was no sound like a roar as had been reported by Londo and Vir. Instead, the far wall opened to reveal a monitor of some kind.

"I think you have a better grasp of the problem Romana and I have been dealing with. I had to wonder why when it occurred to me, a temporal event so close and Kosh telling me why it was there too, you were here when Babylon 4 appeared?" The Doctor never looked up but now she just felt like Garibaldi did when security was flouted by these 2.

"Doctor, you cannot just hack into our files and look for whatever you want. There are rules and you could ask!" She was fully in the armor of Executive Officer of Babylon 5. The Doctor just looked up and smiled as he continued to do something with the controls of his ship.

The screen flickered and then it showed something she wished never to see again, Mr Bester. It was clearly an image from the Embarkation area, but the time stamp was wrong, it was next year!

"There it is. I would not put too much stock in that date, time can fluctuate a lot as you have no doubt learned with our visit. Regardless, this is the breaking point Commander Ivanova." He flipped a switch and instead of Bester, wreckage floated in space.

"What is that?" Susan felt a chill in her mind as the coloring seemed familiar.

"Oh, that is Babylon 5, what is left of it. Look at the time Commander." His quiet tone was almost too sad to bear. She saw it was the same date!

He flicked a switch and the screen went dark.

"I can't give you certainties here Commander, I can only give you probabilities. We have combed the complicated moments on this station to avoid the end of it all and just got past the worst one. There is another." With that he flicked the lever with a red knob and the doors opened.

She followed him back into her quarters. K-9 followed them as well.

"Romana and I checked into the future as far as we could go and there are 2 more points that are a danger. One, is Ms Alexander herself, but Kosh has that well in hand." He turned to her and knew what was coming. "The other is you Susan Ivanova."

* * *

 **Kosh's Quarters**

He felt tired. Kosh was not unfamiliar with the feeling, but since coming to Babylon 5, he had felt it more and more. Now he found that his old plans were going forward, but the Timelords had shown their displeasure.

He had promised to do his best and they had accepted it. His contacts were confirmed on homeworld to expect Lyta in the near future. They would know what to do with her.

For the first time in his extremely long life, he was disgusted with what they had done to all the younger races. Truly he felt so old, but it had to be done. Even the Doctor had confirmed it had to be done.

Talia would be staying on Babylon 5, but Lyta would one day return. It was going to be a strange future on the station, very strange.

He looked at his viewer and saw the transcript from Valen. There were points he gave as markers of things to come. Signs that the time was drawing near. It clearly said in the transcript:

 _The darkness hidden within will rip apart an innocent and an old friend will return with fire in her hair. She will become part of forces against the Shadow as a follower of the First Ones._

The words were intentionally poetic, even Valen knew there was a limit to how much he could reveal. The Vorlons knew his fate, but not all the details of it.

Kosh wondered why the words had not changed. He wondered what the Doctor was not telling him.

* * *

 **Ivanova's Quarters**

The alcohol burned her throat but it calmed her nerves. The Doctor had to be wrong, he had to be.

"How can I be one of the problems that could end the station?" She had stopped doubting the Timelords in their one area of expertise. The minor miracles they could do and the way that blue box was now in her room, spoke to their mastery here.

"I chose the future image intentionally to gauge your reaction Ivanova. You have a hatred of the Psi Corp I cannot totally disagree with, but if you let it blind you, it will destroy you all. Worse, it means you must let go of your feelings for Talia." The Doctor did not look happy. In fact, he looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

"WHAT?!" Susan shot up out of her chair and it toppled backward onto K-9. He made some sound but she could not care. How dare this being tell her how to live her life!

"She was supposed to die Susan." The quiet words stilled her heart. Her legs wobbled as the thought she had kept at the back of her skull came roaring forward. The Timelords had been clear that they had changed things. They had been clear that their actions needed correcting.

No one had really answered wha it was they had changed or what it was that needed correcting.

Talia was supposed to die because Lyta exposed the hidden persona within. Talia was supposed to cease existing because this was when she was destined to die.

The Doctor had saved her life. He had altered everything that came after. They had worked to make it so Talia could continue to have a future on Babylon 5. There was a price for this.

"Why?" The word whispered past her lips as tears fell. She understood it God damn it but she understood it.

"The universe is not fair, never has been and never will be. We all do our best and sometimes it means swallowing our pride and making a sacrifice." He quietly offered the wrinkled paper bag of his famous sweets. She took one and welcomed the tart flavor.

Everyone disagreed on how they tasted, but all agreed they somehow made it better.

"It is not polite, what I am about to say, but you have to understand." The Doctor sat down and he looked so gently at her. He was about to break her heart.

"That..thing…manipulated Talia's honest friendship and pushed it farther. She is confused still what she really feels and may one day come back to it, but until she has that sorted out, you have to let it go. You have to let her come to you." He looked at her directly as the final shot came. "You must also walk away if it is before that date. If you are with her, something changes that breaks it all. I wish I could give you more, but that date is absolute."

She remembered what he said about not being hung up on the image, but he only meant Bester, the date itself was next year. It was late next year. Her heart felt like it was breaking to realize Talia may have been used to get to her by that horrifying thing.

Tears fell and the Doctor was silent. He offered no pity but he did not let her face it alone.

She quickly rebuilt her controls, her rigid training and all her mother had taught her to put her mind under her command. It as raw still, but she knew duty and she understood what she had been told. Romana had been kind about it, but the Doctor had been blunt.

"For the record, you can go to Hell Doctor, but I appreciate the bluntness." He smiled a small smile and used the sonic screwdriver to unlock the door.

"Take your time Commander, we are almost done here. I have one more visit to make. I am hoping to save a man from his pride if I can, but it may not be enough." The Doctor strolled out of the room as he put his hat on.

Once he was gone, Ivanova heard K-9 roll up and he actually put his head agains her leg. A swell of affection flowed in her and she actually scratched his metal head and saw his ears and tail wag gently.

"Good dog, K-9, good dog." She let the emotions roll over her again and just sought balance for when she had to face the station again.

* * *

 **Londo's Quarters**

The door continued to beep for the 3rd time before Vir was able to navigate the small mess of the Ambassador's Quarters. Londo had been getting constant updates and seemed like he would be summoned to homeworld at any time.

The war was reaching a climax, they could all feel it. It hurt his chest at times to think on the loss of life, but Londo continued to plow ahead.

Vir hit the button to open the door and was about to ask what was needed when he saw who was on the other side and promptly fainted away.

"Great Maker! What plague do you bring now?" Londo felt the Doctor staring at him. The man had helped Vir get to the lounge chair to recover. Clearly the last encounter was still too much for poor Vir.

"Oh I just came to have a final word with you Londo, then I think Romana and I can go. Do you remember what I said down on Epsilon III?" The Doctor was using his hat to move air over Vir as he came back to the land of the living. If there was any justice, one of the household Gods would strike the Doctor dead.

"About the future, yes! I remember you rambling how things can be changed. We each have our role to play, and I will proudly stand on my path to a wonderful future for Centauri Prime. We are done now yes? Good, get out!" Holding up a report on further ship movements from Refa, Londo saw the Doctor staring hard at him now.

It was the same as down on the planet. The nearly insane buffoon was replaced with an intimidating being.

"You are afraid of the future Londo, afraid it cannot be changed and that it will bring tragedy to Centauri Prime. I told you it can be changed but you have to do something very difficult, for you the hardest thing." The dark eyes drew him in. They were ancient, beyond old. They were implacable.

"What would that be then?" Londo quietly asked the question he honestly did not want answered.

"Remember you have friends here, people that actually want to help you and ASK for that help." The Doctor put on his hat and the spell broke.

THAT, is what he came to say? He came to advise in that intimidating voice to ask for help?! Why would he do that?

Londo almost pushed it aside when he saw the ghost of his dead friend falling on his blade. His current allies caused that true, but his initial actions brought them to power. Morden and his associates started it, but he had accepted the offer.

Disquiet filled him as Vir began to straighten up. Londo wondered what he could do to fix his horrible mistakes.

* * *

 **Zocalo**

Delenn enjoyed the quiet after the horrible tragedies in the past year. The Centauri and Narn war was escalating, but now her information was coming second hand on Minbari channels. Thankfully, those were not the only channels available to her anymore.

The Rangers were moving quietly but soon, their power would be needed in the coming war with the Shadows.

She glanced up as a shadow loomed over her.

The Doctor smiled down and plopped in the chair next to her.

"It is something nice to see a friendly face as you wander the station." He offered a jelly baby and she accepted out of habit. Something seemed off now. It was as if both a great weight was lifted but now a sadness dwelled in his soul.

"You look like a man at the end of a journey Doctor." Delenn had come to enjoy her encounters with the Doctor. He was frustrating to John, and likely Garibaldi in particular, but he always seemed to turn her point of view when they met. He looked at the universe in wondrous ways. He would have truly enjoyed debate on Minbar.

"Oh it is a common enough thing for me, but I had been coming to like it here on this station." He was fanning himself with his hat as he looked out over the Zocalo.

It occurred to Delenn this is where the journey of the Doctor and Babylon 5 began as well. She also understood what he was saying.

"It is time for you to leave us then to go back to where you came from?" She found she wished they could stay. They would be wonderful allies against the Shadows, but he looked at her sadly as if reading her mind.

"Unfortunately yes, it is time for us to move on. We have solved all the problems we can and the rest is out of our hands. We would only make it worse if we stayed now." He seemed to have a spark in his eyes, but it was quickly gone looking back at her.

"I will then wish you a good journey and to keep you in my thoughts in the years to come." Delenn was sad to see him leaving. She understood part of why they left, Kosh said they could not participate in the war.

"Dear lady, it has been a pleasure truly. I have on last thing to do and then we will leave. I think Garibaldi will be quite happy to have me out of his hair." He smiled wide and it infected her as well. The stories of his adventures throughout the months had reached her ears as well. They laughed quietly at their final meeting as the life of the Zocalo flowed around them.


	13. The Way Home

_Sorry for long break between. I had some fun and some just plain old life come my way. Also, sleep, lots of sleep! Anyway, on to the conclusion._

 _I, of course, own nothing of Babylon 5 or Doctor Who outside of the many many hours of my life I chose to give up to binge watching both._

* * *

 _The Timelords have navigated the near disaster from their inadvertent changes to the timelines of Babylon 5. They made the Shadows leave the station for now to avoid any further attempts at their technology and now the time has come to go home._

* * *

 **Babylon 5 - Council Room**

Captain Sheridan looked out over the empty chairs where the Non-aligned worlds representatives often yelled or spoke over each other as policies and treaties were challenged. These days it was all about protecting their borders and asserting their sovereign will over their space.

It was becoming tense and Babylon 5 was becoming more important for negotiation and a place all can come to. The troubles back home did not help, but for now things had seemed to settle.

A sudden sound of steps had him look up from his papers and the Doctor strolled in. He had his hat on his head with coat and scarf. He smiled wide at the captain and glanced over the room.

"There are times I do not envy you humans. You are amazing at times and frustrating, but often you put up with things I would gladly run away from." Sheridan, for once, completely agreed with the Timelord. Bureaucracy was not something anyone liked dealing with much.

"Is there anything I can do for you Doctor?" Sheridan had his papers in hand as he stood up, but then saw the Doctor smile wider at him as he took his hat off. It almost seemed sad.

"Actually, it has come time for us to go Captain Sheridan. We have done what we could and any more could make things worse." The tall man put his hat on the half circle desk as he took one of the now empty seats from representatives.

Oddly, Sheridan found he was also sad. He could name a hundred problems caused by the 2 beings that had come to his station illegally to start, but they had woven a lot of good into it too.

Not least being Talia Winters, but also Garibaldi had found it annoying to say that where the Doctor tread, often revealed problems that would have been worse if left to themselves.

"When will you be leaving us?" Sheridan leaned on the front of the desk as he picked up the Doctor's hat. It felt soft and well taken care of. It was very much like those from Earth but Dr Franklin had freely admitted curiosity on whether or not even their clothes were alien.

Supposedly, the Doctor had said to Delenn that the scarf was a gift from Madame Nostradamus, a witty little knitter, according to the Timelord. She often smiled when talking about the Doctor or Romana.

"Soon, we are just cleaning up a bit. Also, Commander Ivanova has stated categorically I am not allowed in her quarters when she is sleeping or changing." The smirk was just barely there and Sheridan could easily imagine the kind of warning his second could give. Those foolish enough to cross her, and survive, rarely repeated the experience.

"Where will you go?" That was a question he had asked before in many ways, but the Doctor looked serious this time.

"Back through the anomaly and to our own Time and Space. We were not supposed to be here, but I came with a warning for you Captain." The eyes became ancient and the presence was on par with Kosh. Sheridan was reminded once again, this was not a human being in front of him.

"The dead time is still there, it is only greatly reduced. We have analyzed all possibilities and what is left comes down to you." The Timelord stood up and his imposing height gave him more authority right now. Sheridan felt like something close to an ozone smell in the air.

"The original timeline is still intact for now but that will hold until the final moments, when the door closes on the disruption out there. You, Captain Sheridan, will be a part of that. Tread carefully." The words hung a moment, then the smile broke the spell. He did that a lot.

"Now then, I am off Captain, you have a good day!" The Timelord almost left before coming back and snatching up his hat. He smiled wide and whistled as he went back into the hallway.

Sheridan felt sweat on his brown and one question in his head. How was he the one to decide and what was the decision?

* * *

 **Security**

Garibaldi was noticing that his computer terminal was optimized beyond anything he could remember when Romana whisked in. He tried very hard to count to 10 in his head.

Nothing good had ever come when the Timelords came to him. It was always a request for resources or an explanation for why half the filing system had gone haywire suddenly. He had almost lost it when he found out K-9 was armed.

The smile though struck a chord in him, he knew what that kind of smile meant.

"Time to go, huh?" He saw surprise blossom in her eyes and she nodded. Of the 2, he preferred Romana. She could be quite cold at times, but in this job you had to do that too. If you let your heart rule everything, it would drive you mad.

"The Doctor and I are just cleaning up a few things and K-9 optimized your computer for you. We did not ask him, but I did admonish him for doing it without permission." Garibaldi stopped the rolling of his eyes and the sigh just barely. That dog was a menace of good intentions.

"Mr Garibaldi, I feel there is something delicate to tell you, but you must understand I would not say this unless I had to." She took a seat and seemed to search for words. It had become much easier to read them both, but the Doctor could be a mystery far more often than Romana. Garibaldi would say she was trying to broach a subject she felt too personal to really talk about.

"If it is about Talia, I know I need to give her time to get her head on straight, I am her friend after all. Also I am not that blind." He smirked as the shock passed on her face. Honestly, it had been something he thought about, how long it would take to sort out his head if he had something like that in it. It gave him the willies, but it was also a fact of life now.

"While that is admirable, that is not the only thing. It is about Mr Bester." He kept the anger on a tight leash most of the time, but that name tested his controls. True, he could not find one iota of dirt on the Psi Cop and the data crystal had saved their butts from a deeper look at B5, but he found his tolerance of Psi Corp very low.

"I can see it in your eyes, Garibaldi, but he has to come back. I can't make you accept it entirely, but you have to tolerate it. I would warn you of one thing, he will try to get Talia in the future. Do not let him. We discussed it, and it is too dangerous for the Psi Corp to have what we taught her yet." The sadness in her eyes gave him pause.

His mind was perfect at deducing though, and he saw it. All those like Talia and Lyta that had been abused and used by the Corp could not benefit from this. More, they were the true innocents and the coldness in his heart melted a little.

He, of all, knew the system was far from perfect even for security. They would deal with it another time. He breathed out his anger of earlier and nodded as he smiled.

It was an easy thing to do, just one more thing on the list of unjust things in the universe.

"This means my life will go back to the normal uncontrolled chaos of before?" He almost wished it wouldn't, almost but not quite. He also would enjoy not getting calls at his quarters at all hours about a tall man in a scarf in Down Below or the casino.

"Oh I should suspect so. It has been a pleasure Mr. Garibaldi." She smiled wide and took his hand. He wished he could see them leave, but he had enough impossible things for a lifetime already in his head.

"Please, keep out of hair in the future." Garibaldi saw the smile freeze, but Romana nodded and left his office. He probably said something rude, but honestly he had only ever understood half of what they said when asked where they were from. In his mind, if they were here before, they could be here again.

* * *

 **Ivanova's Quarters**

Talia felt anxious. She had talked for so long last night and today had passed too quickly. A few meetings and one contract for a business had passed in a blur. They had promised to wait, but she had worried they would be gone.

Instead, she found them waiting in Ivanova's quarters. The Doctor was in his normal attire of coat and scarf, hat tucked into one of his pockets, but Romana had put on a dark blue dress with white frills down the sides and a button up on the center. Her hair was still straight and down her back as they seemed to be drinking tea.

They looked up and smiled at her widely. Of all the people on the station, she was perhaps the closest to the 2 travelers. By necessity she practically could not remember a day without the Doctor now.

He had done so much for her and helped her with the burden of all that had been revealed. Susan had been too busy to reach today, but they were meeting up later. Talia had to figure out what to do now that all the secrets were out in the open.

"You look wonderful Talia." Romana's praise made her blush. Since they had removed that horrible thing from her mind, she had practically replaced her wardrobe with colors. Gray and black were still in there, but only by necessity.

Today she was wearing a deep emerald dress, almost black, but it still had long sleeves like everything else. She was only able to keep the gloves off thanks to her new shields, but she was too used to covering up to completely change styles.

"I don't know how I am going to do this all without you." Tears threatened, but she kept them in. She felt glad when Romana encircled her in a quick hug. The new shields and lessons had been the best months of her life.

They let her celebrate being a telepath, not accepting of limitations or fear of accidental scanning, but to actually enjoy being her. She wished all telepaths could feel like that.

"You have been an excellent student and I am so sorry you had to learn the hard way." The Doctor still looked a little contrite but he had brought her such joy that the pain had been well worth it to her.

She rushed into him and hugged him hard. He tensed up but then patted her on the head. She could hear Romana giggle slightly behind her.

"I wish I could go with you sometimes, but I have to stay don't I?" She looked up and saw the solemn look in his eyes. It was not the first time she had brought it up, but he had been adamant that no one could come with them where they were going.

It would not only be a one way ticket, but there would be nothing like her world to connect to. Not to mention, there were no human telepaths like her in their worlds. She would cause a calamity if anyone figured out how to unlock human telepathy over there.

"Sorry, but no. It is time for us to go. Live your life and do you best. Good luck." He patted her on the head and then went into the TARDIS. Romana hugged her one more time and also disappeared in side.

The doors clicked closed and then she felt the breeze and heard the roar rise and fall as the box vanished in front of her.

She sat down hard in the chair and let the tears wash over her. She knew she would never know the joy those 2 had brought to her again.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

The Doctor was in complete control of the TARDIS as they moved through the vortex. The Randomizer was on standby until they had cleared the anomaly and were back where they belonged.

Strangely, he felt like he was leaving UNIT again. It had been irritating and restricting in so many ways, but the Brigadier and even Harry had become a usual part of his life. It had not been total happiness to travel the vortex freely again.

Babylon 5 was a nexus of chaos, light and dark, and all of it mixed together. It was the kind of place he could thrive. A pity none existed where they were from.

He found the anomaly and easily entered it. Per protocol, they began the scan as they headed for the clear breach into their own vortex.

"Do you think—" Whatever Romana had been about to say was interrupted as the TARDIS suddenly violently tilted. The coat stand toppled and the easel fell out of the closet. The Doctor hoped the water had stayed in the pool this time.

Half the emergency lights had flickered and he circled around the console to find the cause.

Sure enough, they were no longer alone in the Vortex. There was a massive object and he knew what it had to be.

He thought at first it was simply the unexpected mass, but then he looked at the panel with the scan of the timelines. The moment had come. He had been wrong.

They were not yet done with the Babylon stations.

* * *

 **Babylon 4**

 _It had been turbulent times since the Doctor had left Babylon 5. Sheridan had to declare independence from Earth as President Clark declared Martial Law and innocents where sidelined or incarcerated for just disagreeing with him._

 _The Narn homeworld had been bombarded with mass drivers by Refa's orders. His reliance on the power of the Shadows making him power hungry by the day._

 _The Shadows had begun to move in the open, but the Rangers had given him the White Star to work against them. It was a half Minibari/ half Vorlon ship. Marcus had joined them after bringing this to Babylon 5 use._

 _Lyta had returned as an assistant to Ambassador Kosh, effectively ending the need for Talia to be a representative but he did not rescind her protections. She had been very instructive and Lyta found a friend to talk to about her own role working with the Vorlons._

 _As this all came to pass, Sheridan learned the Shadows are afraid of telepaths. It had come from the unexpected tip from Mr Bester and found the 'components' for their ships were all rogue telepaths in cryo. Bester now swore to oppose the Shadows with Sheridan as one of them was the woman he loved._

 _Sadly, Kosh also gives Sheridan his first win against the Shadows, at the cost of his life. It is the bargain between the Vorlons and the Shadows that exacts it. Talia and Sheridan both feel his death._

 _Finally, Sheridan is shown by Delenn and Sinclair that the White Star was the ship that stole Babylon 4 into Time. In the middle of their attempt, the Shadows tried to destroy Babylon 4. The White Star succeeded, but Sheridan became unhooked from stable Time in the Whitestar. He flits between the future and the present as Zathras from the Great Machine tries to affect repairs on his anchor._

 _They have succeeded in securing Babylon 4, but now something has gone very wrong._

* * *

 **Babylon 4 - CnC**

"What do you mean we are stuck?" Sinclair felt disturbed. He had received the letter from his future self that this was his destiny, but now Zathras was pulling at his wild hair and furs he wore as he whistled and clicked at the machine read outs.

"Zathras does not know. There is a block or something in our way to the past. We are not able to move anymore." The near wild looking being was running his clawed hands quickly over the panel. Technically speaking, they had all the time in the world, but Sinclair doubted that was the case.

The stress on the station was only going to increase as it was kept in these time fields and they did not have infinite power.

Babylon 4 had to get back to the past to help in the war against the Shadows. It had to.

Delenn and Sheridan worked with Marcus to see what they could do, but all would have to get back to the White Star soon as well. Draal could not keep the Great Machine going forever on the portal either.

All froze as a roar filled the CnC and they turned as one to the command area where a blue Police Box seemed to appear.

"What the Hell?" He stared in shock as the tallest man he had ever seen entered the room, but Sheridan and Delenn seemed to smile wide. Even Susan accepted it with her characteristic long sigh.

* * *

"Honestly, can you not make a mess of things when I am trying to leave?" The Doctor smiled wide as he took off his coat and tossed it across the railing of the pit. He walked up to the older gentleman, the one Kosh had told him would be Valen.

"Pleasure to meet you, please excuse me." He then saw the most fascinating creature who looked stunned at him.

"Zathras has heard about you from Draal." The Doctor smiled wide and shushed the man. He then looked over the readings and saw the problem. The problem he had suspected might happen.

He began to reprogram the time machine attached to the station as Romana came out of the TARDIS as well.

* * *

Delenn felt the weight of the mission drop from her shoulders. After facing the Inquisitor from the Vorlons, she had felt more confident in general, but this tricky mission had been fraught with dangers.

Now she saw the smile of her old friends.

"It is good to see you 2 again." Romana turned to her with a smile.

"For us, we have just left Babylon 5, but then we ran into trouble leaving. Or rather, we sensed yours." The Doctor's hands were flying as Zathras watched him intently.

Delenn felt slight confusion, then realized she was standing in a station that had vanished 4 years ago, then reappeared 2 years later, only to vanish again, and they were trying to send it 1000 years to the past.

This was not the time to be bothered by relative differences.

She heard the tch from the Doctor followed by mumbling. He had his sonic screw driver out to open a panel and he began to re-wire some things there.

"What is it that has gone wrong Romana?" John asked the question they all wanted answered. Until this point, things had moved fairly easily.

"Talia did, or rather, the changes caused by us. You are trying to return this station to the beginning of its timeline, or rather the end of it. We changed it slightly and now you cannot follow that exact path. A rudimentary problem but I can see why it was missed." Romana smiled to soften her critique but they all felt a bit of a sting.

Delenn simply smiled. She had missed even this tone from them.

"There we are, bit of a lash up job, but should now be up and running, dear old thing." The Doctor turned and waved at them all. He took in the room it seemed and then quickly pushed Romana back into their TARDIS.

All watched in awe as it vanished once more from the CnC.

"Ah, Zathras sees now, understands. We can go." He began to program the course back 1000 years to the past.

"Anyone going to explain what just happened?" Sinclair looked at them in confusion if relaxed now that things were moving again.

"The universe provided old friend. It provided." Delenn smiled at John as he turned an eyebrow up at her choice of words.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

"How bad was it Doctor?" Romana had downplayed the situation, but truly the issue had been real. They could not take the station back to the planned time without accounting for the changes in the timelines.

In other words, they had to shift it slightly for the new paradox details they had inadvertently created on Babylon 5.

"Not terrible, but if they had forced it, they would have ripped the station apart and likely had the dead time. Now then, that just leaves one other issue." The Doctor moved his hands over the controls and then he waited. She was only confused a moment as she realized they had solved the station problem, but then Sheridan and the others had to return as well!

* * *

 **The White Star**

Marcus felt both forlorn and awe that Valen was Ranger 1. Sinclair had always been a mystery, to both Rangers and everyone it seemed. He had known his destiny to become a Minbari not born of Minbari.

The slim Ranger stroked his beard as he plotted the course back to Babylon 5. The ship rocked suddenly and sparks flew as several crystals overloaded on the command area controls. He moved his hands and felt the blood leave his body.

The way home was gone!

"Captain, I can't plot the way back, something has gone wrong!" Marcus saw Sheridan pale but then the most insane thing happened again.

There was a spinning blue box in front of them. It had not been there before, but it was there now.

"Marcus, follow that box." The smile on the Captain's face was oddly calm, and Marcus knew they should trust the 2 strange aliens. He had read up on them, but nothing had prepared him for when the breezed onto the Babylon 4 CnC.

The White Star rocked and buffeted, but the blue box remained visible and then suddenly it was there. The way home!

"Take us out of here!" Marcus needed no prompting as they White Star passed their guide out of the place in-between Times.

* * *

 **The TARDIS**

The rip to Babylon 5 sealed as the Doctor guided the TARDIS back to his own Vortex. As he moved, the ship began its job of fortifying the weakened Time so it would not be breached again.

The bump back into their own Vortex was barely a ripple and the Doctor quickly made sure it was sealed behind them. All his readings were in the green so he activated the Randomizer.

"It was a near thing, but we got them through it." The Doctor was glad Sheridan was there, but he had seen the ripple of time around the man. He had been drifting and now possessed foreknowledge. Hopefully he used it well.

Romana only smiled as they both relaxed being back where they belonged. The TARDIS quickly materialized and he took a reading.

"Ah, we are in Paris, France on Earth. Looks like late 20th century. Should make for a nice holiday after all of that!" He smiled wide at Romana and she just rolled her eyes that he was always trying to have a nice holiday. It was time to see what was outside.

The Doctor took one last look at the scans of Babylon 5. Up until the last minute he had watched and now it was gone at last. The Dead Time had been averted.

It had been a bit touch and go there, but no explosions or alien invasions had been nice to deal with. It would be nice to have a stress free visit. He had not seen Paris in centuries, maybe he could check over Leonardo's works in the art galleries.

Nice man, but only a half decent painter. He was much better as an inventor in the Doctor's considered opinion.

* * *

 _The Doctor and Romana went out into Paris, to see the sights and unfortunately face Scaroth and his play across history to save his race from extinction._

 _But what happened to Babylon 5? The changes wrought by the Timelords were not as vast as some might have feared but where some things were better, others could not be stopped._

* * *

 _Sheridan returned and faced not only the Shadows but the Vorlons as well. Garibaldi was lost for a time and then returned. At first all seemed well, but his high level of distrust tipped off Talia Winters._

 _She felt what had been done to him but the risk to removing the P12 blocks were high and she knew not what they were doing. As far as she could tell, for now he was still Garibaldi._

 _Sheridan eventually, with the help of all the non-aligned worlds, the remaining First Ones, and the oldest being, Lorien, they not only ended the war, but removed the Vorlons and Shadows from power. They would no longer manipulate the younger races into fighting ever again._

 _Lyta was left with nothing to do after the Vorlons left, but Talia had long been proving an ally to both the station and Lyta. She made sure the woman was not forgotten in the rush to face Clark and keep the station at peace. She started her own service to Sheridan and the others._

 _It took a lot of work but they made a place for rogue telepaths to come and learn new ways. The screen process was strict and the training unforgiving, but it gave Babylon 5 a distinct force for negotiation and a sign of how they did things._

 _The jobs were similar but the skills Talia taught and the things Lyta could do, made them formidable. Bester was adamant at stopping them, but B5 was beyond Earth control and his power useless._

 _Sadly, it did not stop them missing Garibaldi. He slipped away to Mars after several altercations with Sheridan. Talia warned him he was being manipulated, but even she did not know a safe way to remove the blocks on him. She assured him, he was still Garibaldi, but he was being pushed._

 _As things worsened on Earth and Proxima, Sheridan was forced to move before he was ready. They charged in and freed one colony at a time as they worked with Mars rebellion as well. Garibaldi was used by Bester to find out that Edgars Industries had made a virus to use against telepaths, the real him trapped inside more and more._

 _Worse, Sheridan, thinking Garibaldi was still himself if being manipulated, walked into the trap. He warned Susan about it but it still took Lyta ripping open his mind to save Garibaldi from the irate Mars rebels._

 _Earth was freed and the new Alliance was born. Talia petitioned and was accepted into the new Alliance forces. With all her telepaths and Lyta helping, they accepted the large rogue group led by Byron._

 _Bester was incensed, but legally it was a recognized alternative to Psi Corp. No one was coerced and no one was kept against their will. It was Talia's insistence on that front that kept the peace._

 _It turned into the greatest blessing when Byron learned the truth about telepaths from Lyta. The Vorlons had manipulated all the younger races to make weapons for the war against the Shadows. His explosive response was derailed by Talia. She forced him to look at what they were doing and how far they had come._

 _She forced him to see what he was suggesting would only make all the Alliance turn against them._

 _Byron accepted this and his followers became the most ardent of keeping the peace. They needed the Alliance Telepath Corps to survive now._

 _Byron, however, could not be with Lyta again. The things he saw made his anger flare every time because she accepted what had been done to her. She was now far beyond a P5, but so had too had Talia. They were different sides of the same coin, but they worked together to make a good place for telepaths._

 _Eventually, the Telepath War broke out, but instead of the brutal fight it could have been, the Alliance Telepaths worked with Earth telepaths to bring it to a peaceful conclusion. Bester is found by Garibaldi and the details of the encounter are best left to imagination._

 _The Doctor and Romana brought changes, and chaos as well, but their effect was felt throughout the future. The Timelords were forgotten by most races, but never by humanity, not even when they passed beyond the need for physical bodies._

 _The Shadow of the Doctor stayed with them all._


End file.
